The Melancholy of Maiko Nakashima
by xLili.Chanx
Summary: A high honor transfer student from Koyouen transfers to North High, transferring into Kyon and Haruhi's classroom. But is she aware of what will happen her on first day? Rated T for minor language.
1. Beginner's Luck

Hello, my name is Maiko Nakashima, but you could call me Mai. They all do. My parents, my teachers, the whole student body. I ought to as well change my name to Mai. It happened to my last name, why not my first name? It's a very long story, but I'll still tell you. (If you're not interested, move to the next paragraph.)

My father met my mother while visiting Japan. He was just looking around the city when he ran into my mom at a café. He has always been interested in Japanese stuff: the culture, the food, he was also quite an otaku. My mother was also an otaku when she was younger. So, my mother and father dated for about 4 years, and they got married in 1993. Since my father stayed in Japan, my mother got the name 'Miyuki Roberts'. In my opinion, it doesn't sound right. Her maiden name is 'Nakashima'. My father's name is Vincent Roberts. I was born a year later. Four years later, they had my younger sister Ariana, then a year later, they had Izumi. So, yay for me, I'm the older sister. My parents stayed happily married for 11 years, and in 2004, they divorced. Ariana went with my father back to America, and me and Izumi stayed with my mother. My mother got back her last name, and we got her last name. So, I was born Maiko Roberts (it doesn't sound right with me either), but now, I'm Maiko "Mai" Nakashima.

My mom had me attend an elite school by the end of the hill called Kouyouen Academy. My grades were so good I passed the entrance exam with flying colors. Eventually, I was tired of attending the same school over and over, and all my friends I knew since diapers had transferred and moved. So I was basically left with no friends because everyone else was a straight out hothead, imbecile, bully, or pervert. I was so annoyed I asked my mom to transfer to the school up the hill, North High. I was always curious about that school. I took the entrance exam and once again, passed with flying colors. My mom wanted me to finish one more month at Kouyouen before I transferred to North High. No one was really going to miss me except the teachers, so they're the only ones I said goodbye to. So today is my first day at North High. My uniform came in right on time, luckily, so I won't have to come in standing out a lot.

"WAKE UP, NEE-CHAN!" my sister screamed at me, basically beating me with pillows until I decided to get up. Man, she has a lot of energy to be waking up at the crack of dawn. She was already in uniform when I opened my eyes. I groaned, stretched, and took a shower.

And what the heck, my mom was up too. Bet Izumi spent at least twenty minutes trying to get her out of bed. By the time I was ready, she was waiting by the door with a big smile on her face. I grabbed some toast and my bag, and ran out the door holding my sister's hand. My sister's elementary school is also at the bottom of the hill, so I had a couple minutes of peace before school. "Bye Nee-chan!" my sister screamed out before I started up the hill. "Love you!"

I smiled, and yelled out "I love you, too!" I wasn't embarrassed at all to love my sister, even though she can be a pest. I had to get some papers in the office before I went to class so I better get there on time.

After a peaceful walk up the hill, I finally reached the school. It looks a little smaller than Kouyouen, but it still looked beautiful. I walked in the school and looked at the clock. 8:20. Darn, late on the first day. Mom would slap me right now if she was by my side. I just walked into the office for my papers. They had my schedule and my class so I wouldn't get lost. "Hmm, class 1-5," I thought. "Right down the hall, I think." I walked down the hall, looking at the class cards by the door until I reached the one that said 1-5. I grasped the doorknob, took a deep breath, and walked in. I felt like everything was in slow motion as I walked in. All eyes were on me as I walked to the teacher's desk.

"Excuse me," I said. "I'm the new transfer student the principal might have told you about." He smiled and stood up from his desk. "Class, this is Maiko Nakashima, a new student who just transferred from Kouyouen. Please make her feel welcomed." I smiled and waved. "You can call me Mai. Everyone does." I said. Everyone just stared. The one that caught my attention was girl sitting by the window. She had short brown hair with a orange headband with a huge smile on her face like my sister's this morning. "My name is Mr. Okabe, Mai. You can take a seat right next to Kyon at that empty desk."

I walked over to the empty desk slowly. As more people stared, I got more nervous. I blushed as I sat in my seat. Kyon and that girl I mentioned earlier stared at me. The girl still had a slight grin on her face, while Kyon stared at me as if I was a new species or something.

Class went by very fast, so as soon as the bell ring, I got out my schedule. Before I got a chance to look, the girl grabbed my neck and pulled me over next to her. Kyon stood there, stupefied. "Who the heck are you?" I yelled.

"I'm Haruhi Suzumiya, club leader of the SOS Brigade! And I want _**you**_ to join it! And I don't pick just anyone to join!"

"What's so special about me?"

"Super smart, super hot, and you're huge!"

"Is that compliment or an insult about me being huge?"

"Complimenting, of course! You're perfect for the part of the huge schoolgirl!"

"EXCUSE ME?"

She grabbed my hand and ran out of the classroom. "Follow us, Kyon!" she shouted behind. I tried to break free, but darn is she strong! She stopped at room upstairs with a card that said 'SOS Brigade'. Hopefully that Kyon guy will know something about this,

"Sorry I'm late everyone!" she said, kicking the door open. "I found a new member!" She pointed at me with a huge grin. "I don't even know your name," I said, annoyed.

"I told you! I said my name is Haruhi Suzumiya! This club is about searching for aliens, time travelers, and espers and making friends with them!"

Haruhi sounds like a total nut, but whatever. This sounds pretty interesting. "Fine, I'll join your SOS Brigade."

"YAY!" she shouted. I know I'll regret this later, though. "This is Maiko Nakashima! Or known as Mai Nakashima! The cute one's Mikuru, the one with the glasses is Yuki, the guy from class is Kyon, and the smiling guy over there is Koizumi!"

"Wow," I thought, glancing over. "That guy over there is pretty cute, but he's always smiling."

"You're our sixth member! I'm the brigade leader, by the way. How tall do you think she is?" Haruhi asked, randomily changing the subject to my height, which makes me 'huge'.

"At least 5'6". She's huge. I'm not trying to be rude, but you're tall," Kyon said.

"H-How about 5'7"?" Mikuru guessed.

"How tall are you, Mai?" she asked, eagerly.

"Close, 5'8". Not that tall," I said with a smile.

"HOW IS 5'8" NOT TALL FOR A GIRL? YOU'RE ALMOST TALLER THAN ME!" Kyon bursted out.

"Yeah right. I bet that guy in the corner is taller."

"Koizumi, since you're the tallest, come here!"

He stood up with a smile and walked over. He looked up and down, which made me a bit uncomfortable "She is pretty tall. We should do back-to-back to be accurate."

I stood up tall as we did it. While not paying attention, his hand brushed against mine. I felt my face turn hot and red. "He is cute and very nice," I thought.

"Yes, she is almost taller than us. You've been tall for your whole life, haven't you?"

"Um.." I blushed. "Kinda, uh, yeah, I guess." He smiled at me, and I just stood there.

I think I might like this club (It's obvious I like Koizumi), even though it's run by a nut.


	2. God is A Girl

Things have quieted down since Haruhi dragged me to the room. Haruhi was actually quiet (yeah, I like her like this better), so I wouldn't get bored, I grabbed a book from the bookshelf. I glanced over and saw another girl. Same age as us, light purple hair, very pale skin, and yellow eyes with glasses. "Hi," I said, with a smile.

No response. She just blinked. I felt pretty awkward so I just changed the subject. "So, what are you reading?" I asked. Just silence. She put a bookmark in the book and showed me. It looked like a book about aliens and space or something. "Cool," I said. I showed her my book, just a little book about art and stuff like that. She blinked. I felt a bit uneasy with this silence. "So, what's your name?" I asked.

"Yuki Nagato," she said in a monotone voice. She sounded a bit like a machine, or the phone operators when you call and no one's home.

"Um…Mai Nakashima," I said while putting my glasses on. As I put them on, Haruhi glanced over with a grin. "I'VE GOT AN IDEA!" she blurted out, ruining the silence. She ran over to the back of the room and pulled out two costumes- one of a devil, and one of an angel. "Mikuru," Haruhi called. "I got you a new outfit! Get over here!" She grabbed her by the hand and got the outfit ready. "Koizumi, Kyon, LEAVE!" she shouted. Koizumi and Kyon got up and simply left.

"I want you to wear this one," she said, pointing to the devil outfit.

"In what way am I a devil?" I asked.

"Well, Mikuru would look way cuter as an angel! Now start taking your clothes off!" she said. Haruhi then hovered over Mikuru and started to pull her clothes off. When she tried to help me, I shouted, "I can put it on myself, thanks!" Then I started to undress. It was a red dress with some black and white sparkly stripes at the chest and it was super short. It also came with red horns and a tail. I felt so nervous when I thought about how I was gonna be used in this outfit.

Mikuru wore the angel outfit and I wore the devil. It was like we were both opposites. "Pull your hair up!" Haruhi yelled. "It's so long and it'll just get tangled!" I simply obeyed. My hair stopped at my thighs, so it was pretty long. I pulled it up in a high ponytail, and she was right, it did look better. "You can come in now, boys!" she yelled out.

As they walked in, I felt as nervous as heck. As soon as Koizumi looked over, I used my arms to try and cover my chest. I felt so uncomfortable showing off so much skin. I felt like a slut. Mikuru looked so pretty in that sparkly white dress with the halo and wings.

"Aren't they sexy?" Haruhi asked them with a grin. Me and Mikuru look terrified. She should be happy she isn't dressed like a slut.

"Especially Mai! I didn't her boobs were so big! They're almost bigger than Mikuru's!" she told them. They could probably care less if my boobs were as big as that computer monitor.

"Those are your brand-new outfits you'll wear everyday in the clubroom!" Haruhi said. "Don't you think this is a bit showy?" I asked, terrified.

"Devils are supposed to be showy and sexy! That's why they're devils!" I looked back at the guys. Kyon was staring at me with a red face, but he looked like he was staring at my hair. I guess ponytails turn him on. Koizumi didn't look like he cared. He was still smiling, but he really wasn't shocked. Does this crap happen everyday or something?

Nagato's expression didn't change one bit, still silent with a blank expression on her face.

After a day of drinking Mikuru's sweet tea and playing Othello and chess, the day was over and Haruhi left. As soon as I put my book bag on my shoulders, Koizumi called out, "Miss. Nakashima, do you have a moment?"

I blushed and look down, "Y-yeah, why? And y-you can call me M-Mai."

He smiled and came closer, "I'd like to talk to you in private, if it's alright with you."

"Um…okay. I… don't mind at all." I stuttered. "Do you mind if we go to my apartment? I have to put my stuff away."

"Not at all," he said with a smile. "But this is very important."

"Okay, my sister should be at her friend's house, so we have peace and quiet with no interruptions," I said.

As we walked down the hill, I felt so calm and happy. I really like being around Koizumi. He's one of the kindest people I've met today, besides Mikuru. Kyon is a whiner, and Haruhi is just crazy, and Nagato never talks. So, I hope what he has to say isn't bad.

When we got to my apartment, my mother answered the door. When she saw Koizumi, she got super happy. "OOOOOHHHHH! My daughter has brought home a boyfriend on her first day of school! I'm so proud of you, Maiko!" We both stood there and blushed. "Mom! He's not my boyfriend! He's just my friend from school."

"That's what they all say," she said with a smirk. "Will this young man be staying for dinner?"

"Uh…" I thought. "If he wants to, I guess." I looked at him, and he was stilling smiling. HE'S STILL SMILING? After watching my mom like that, I thought he would have left already. Oh well, wait until he meets Izumi.

We went to my bedroom where we could have peace and quiet. He sat down on the bed, and asked me to take a seat. Darn, this feels awkward.

"Mai-san, when I tell you this, you probably won't believe me at first, but please let me speak without interruption."

"O-Of course, Koizumi."

His smile faded away. Something serious I could tell. "Let me ask you this. Have you been having headaches a lot lately?"

I was shocked he knew. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"When did you start feeling them?" he asked with a serious face. I gave him the date. "About one month ago, a little after transferring out of Kouyouen," I said. "Why?"

He took a deep breath, "You aren't normal, Maiko. Neither am I, or Miss. Nagato, Miss. Asahina, or Miss. Suzumiya."

I stared at him, "Excuse me?"

"We aren't normal. Do you remember when she said the SOS Brigade is about searching for aliens, time travelers, and espers and making friends with them?"

I nodded. "Well," he began. "That's what we are. I am an esper, and so are you."

"Koizumi," I started. "There's no such-"

"Yes, there is." he said, still staying calm. "I transferred to North High to observe Haruhi Suzumiya by the Agency. We have been watching you a lot lately, and we've waited for the right time to tell you."

"Who's the Agency?" I asked, intrigued.

"A group of espers just like us. Those headaches are from closed space. When Miss. Suzumiya is frustrated or angry, a closed space appears, and it's our job to make sure none appear and to fight them off."

I stared at him. It was getting hard not to believe him. He told me more about Nagato, Mikuru, Haruhi, and the Agency. I just couldn't believe it. He brushed my blonde bangs out of my eyes, and my face turned red. "K-Koizumi, if this is all true, could you show me?"

"It's too late right now," he said, flipping his light brown. "But tomorrow, if you're free, I'd be more than welcome to show you. I would show you right this moment, but I don't think she'd be happy."

"Yeah," I said, blushing. "My mom would get very suspicious and wouldn't trust you right away. She looked happy at the door, but she's hard to get to know and to get her to trust you."

I looked at the clock real quick, and looked at Koizumi. "Would you

like to stay?" I asked him. He shook his head. "No, but thank you for the invitation." That sweet smile returned to his face. I smiled back. "I'll walk you to the door," I said, staring into his eyes.

When I stood up from the bed, my feet were still asleep, so I could keep my balance and I fell on him. My face turned deep red as I tried to get up. "I'm so sorry, Koizumi! My feet were still asleep, and I tripped!"

He smiled. "You're so clumsy, Mai-chan." He laughed, waved goodbye, and walked out the door.

I couldn't believe it. Aliens, time travelers, and espers were all real and true, and that I was one of them.


	3. A Fear of Falling?

The second day of school. This time, I woke up earlier than usual. I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night after what Koizumi told me. Aliens, time travelers, espers, Haruhi Suzumiya, The Agency; everything was on my mind. What is Koizumi going to show me as his proof? Will I die or something? What will I do as an esper?

I grabbed my bag and waited at the door for my sister. "Mom!" I shouted. "Did Izumi sleep over at Ayami's house?" She looked at me weirdly. "Mai, you know how much I hate school day sleepovers. It's not good for her education to be sleepy." she said.

She went over to Izumi's room. "IZUMI!" she shouted. "Wake up! You slept in!" She quickly opened her eyes. "What time is it?"

I looked at my watch. "7:45. You have to find another way to school. I was late yesterday, and I can't have Mr. Okabe giving me detention on my second day." After that, I walked out the door.

A few steps out the door, and heard Izumi screaming and crying. Why Mom? Why didn't you just stop having kids at Ariana?

Classes started at 8:10, so I had to pick up the pace. As soon as tried to start running, I tripped over my shoelace and knocked someone over. "Oh my god!" I said, "I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

He picked up his head, and it was Kyon! He looked very annoyed.

"Kyon! Uh sorry, I'll help you up." I offered him my hand and pulled him up. "Sorry," I apologized. "I'm in a rush today."

"I can tell," Kyon said, still a bit annoyed. He stared at my hair again, and turned red. I had my hair in ponytail again, so it would save me putting it in when I put on my outfit.

"I really like your hair like that," he said, with a red face. "I think ponytails are…cute." I knew what the pause was for. He thought if he said he thought ponytails are sexy, I'd slap him.

"Thanks, I'll consider that." I said, smiling. When I was about to walk away, I turned back around to Kyon. "Hey Kyon," I asked, "Do you think aliens, time travelers, and espers are real?"

Kyon paused. He stood there for a while before saying anything. After a while, the first bell rang. "Yeah," he said. Then, he started to run to class. I followed him, since we have the same class, and I'm still not exactly sure where my class is.

Class went by quicker than yesterday. He just simply gives us an assignment, and then sits down for almost the rest of class. "To the clubroom, Haruhi?" I asked with a smirk. She nodded. "You too, Kyon!" she yelled. "And Mai, don't change into your outfit, yet. I got you a sexier one!"

Oh god. As we walked into the clubroom, almost everything was the same. Nagato was reading another book, Mikuru was in cosplay from yesterday, serving more tea. Once Koizumi saw me, his smile faded. He didn't look depressed or frustrated, just deep in thought. I walked over and sat by him. "You okay?" I asked, putting my hand on his arm.

He blushed. "Of course! Is there I reason I shouldn't be?" His smile all of a sudden reappeared. I could tell he was faking it. "Seriously, what's wrong?" I asked again, removing my hand. "I can tell you're upset."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to come in the closed space with the shinjin around. You've just heard of your abilities, so you could easily be injured."

"I'll be fine," I said. "You're worrying too much about me. I'll learn."

He still looked concerned, but then he started smiling again. "If you insist, Mai-san. So, we'll met at about 6:00?"

"Uh…sure," I said. After a bit of silence and tea drinking, Haruhi bursted in. "I hope you didn't change, Mai!" she shouted. "Because I got you this!" It was a green bunny girl outfit. Is there a reason why she likes dressing me up in showy clothing?

"Now get dressed!" she shouted.

After five minutes, I was ready to go. "Couldn't you put me in something more appropriate?" I asked.

"No way! You look so sexy like that! Perfect for an outfit."

I think I'm in hell, wait, I **am** in hell. Poor Mikuru, who probably suffers everyday with this crap. "Come in, boys!"

Kyon and Koizumi simply walked in. They both glanced a few times. Like usual, Koizumi didn't really care and Kyon was interested in my ponytail. "Why do we even were outfits?" I asked.

She just ignored my question and keep blabbing on. "Tomorrow we'll be playing volleyball! Kyon, bring Taniguchi, Kunikida, and your sister! Mikuru, remind Tsuruya to come! Mai, if you have a sister or a brother, bring them!"

As soon as school was over, I left. "Sorry, Haruhi," I told her. "I have to leave early." I felt very nervous. It was already four 'o clock, and Koizumi's supposed to come to my apartment at five thirty. So I have to run to my apartment to get enough time to get ready.

I ran through the door and threw my bag on the couch. "In a hurry to go, Maiko?" my mom asked. "I'm going somewhere my friend."

"Is it with that man from yesterday?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, blushing. "It's NOT a date!"

"Sure," she said, laughing. "He seems nice, what's his name?"

"Itsuki," I told her. "Itsuki Koizumi."

She smiled. "He seems like a nice young gentleman." She sighed. "You're growing up so fast. Just have fun, sweetie."

"Okay mom!" I shouted from the bathroom. I should re-shower. As I felt the hot water on my face, I thought about what would happen. What if I get hit by the Shinjin? What if I die? What would my mom say if I got hurt? My mom would think Koizumi is crazy if he told her I was an esper.

I slowly stepped out of the shower, and wrapped the towel around me. I was still nervous as heck about what will happen. I went to my bedroom to do my hair. As I brushed the knots out of my hair, I just put my hair in a ponytail. After I was done, I unwrapped myself and hung my towel.

I just pulled out a polo my dad got me from America and a jean miniskirt with a butterfly necklace. I hoped he liked this because I hate dressing too fancy. Then, I heard a knock at the door. It was probably Koizumi. My mother answered the door. "Itsuki-san," she begun. "Mai told me about you. She's in her room, and she should be almost ready." I slid on my shoes and walked in the living room. He was still in his uniform.

"Hi, Koizumi." I said, blushing. He still had a smile on his face as he got up from the couch. "We should be leaving. A taxi is outside for us," he said to my mom. She smiled. "Have fun!

We walked out the apartment with smiles on our faces. And he was right, a taxi driver was right in front, waiting for us. Koizumi let me step in first and he soon followed. "Mai, this is Mr. Arakawa, another part of the Agency."

"Hello," he called from the driver's seat. He was more focused on the road than us.

"Where are we going?" I asked, curiously.

"I'd like to show you a closed space," Koizumi said. "Be very careful, as I don't know what will happen to you. Just watch me very carefully so you'll know what to do."

I nodded. I was very scared. I laid back and held Koizumi's hand. "I'm scared," I said, with a hint of worry in my eyes. "Could I die?"

He didn't answer, but his smile started to fade a bit. I felt a tear go down my face. I started to shout out of fear. "Could you answer-"

"I'm not sure," Koizumi said. "That's why at first I didn't want you to come. I was afraid of your safety while the shinjin are loose."

"We're here." Mr. Arakawa said. I hesitated to come out of the car, but then I gave Koizumi my hand and he helped me out. "I'd like you to close your eyes," he said. I simply closed them. I felt him grab my hand and lead me through a bunch of cold air. When I open my eyes, the whole sky was grey, almost everything way grey. "Is this the closed space?" I asked.

"Yes," Koizumi said, with his smile returning. All of a sudden, a huge blue monster with a bunch of red shining things behind it appeared. I screamed as loud as I could. Was _that_ a Shinjin? "Careful, Maiko-san," he said, saying my full name for the first time. "Watch me carefully if you need to defend yourself. Once I'm up there, I can't save you."

"O-Ok," I said. I watched Koizumi as he turned into a red glowing ball, and flew up into the grey sky with all the other red balls. I was in awe. I never saw anything like this. I can't believe this is our job. All of a sudden, I felt the ground break from under me. The Shinjin! Now what did Koizumi do again?


	4. Sky Sickness

Oh…my…god. Was that the shinjin Koizumi was talking about? Koizumi should have just kept me home! I barely got a glance of what he did, so I'm useless. As those huge blue glowing arms got closer, I screamed at the top of my lungs and ran. I banged and bangs at the spaces, trying to get out of there. Why would Koizumi put me in something so dangerous?

I couldn't get out. Damnit, just damnit! My death is approaching as close as that shinjin is to me. I just kept screaming and running the whole time. "Wait," I thought. "Koizumi told me to watch for a reason. Maybe I can activate my powers and help!"

I closed my eyes, let my arms out, and focused. After a while, I was also a red ball, just like Koizumi and the others in the sky. I jumped up by the shinjin closest by me, and started to throw myself into him. As I tried to get him to fall over by myself with no luck, some of the others went and joined me, and Koizumi was one of them.

We all started to work at one part at a time. Eventually, one of them started to collapse. First went the arm, then the head, and the other parts. We still had other ones to defeat. I tried my hardest to fight and fight, but I've never worked so hard in my life. I can't believe Koizumi puts up with this almost everyday.

After a while, all the shinjin were defeated and we returned to normal. As I went to the ground, I felt very weak. It felt as if I had no energy to run, walk, or even stand. The fight took all of my energy out of me. When Koizumi went to the ground, he looked over at me. "I'm sorry for putting you in such a frightening experience, Mai-san!" he said. "Are you alright?"

"K-K-Koizumi," I muttered. "I f-f-feel strange…"

He looked worried for a minute. His smile eventually started to fade. I never felt so exhausted in my entire life. I tried to walk over to him. "Koizumi," I softly whispered. I slowly closed my eyes and fell on his chest. His body was so warm and comfortable, I just needed…to sleep…just…5 minutess….

When I woke up, I was in my bed with Koizumi by my side. He looked very worried and there was no hint of a smile on his face. "Koizumi," I whispered again. "What happened to me? I'm so sleepy."

"I carried you home. You collapsed on me, and it was out of the question to leave you alone. Your mother just suggested I put you to bed."

I blushed. "Koizumi, thanks. You didn't have to carry me home, I know I'm pretty heavy and not as small as Haruhi and Yuki."

"I know I don't have to," he said. He rested his hand on my face, and I blushed. "But I want to, Maiko," he started. "I care about you a lot, and you're an unique individual. If you need anything," he paused, starting to smile. "I'll be there. I know I don't have to."

My face was as red as a tomato. I couldn't believe he said that. But he was probably just being a good friend, that's all. Haruhi is like, a part of his life, she deserves to be with him, not me. Koizumi has deeply moved my heart, and has changed my opinion of Haruhi. I also care about her, and I'll try my best to keep her happy.

"Koizumi," I asked. "Do you mind if I call you, Itsuki?"

He blushed. "Not at all, Mai-san."

"Okay, thanks." I felt very close to Itsuki, like I knew him forever. I just wanted to pull him closer to me and I wanted to kiss h- wait! No! I could never kiss him! It would just…just no! I shook my head at the thought of kissing him. Koizumi must have noticed. "Something wrong?" he asked, curiously, his smile widening.

"Um, no!" I blushed. "Nothing at all!" He smiled at me again. "That's good," he replied.

"Itsuki," I said, smiling. "You don't need to stay just to make sure I'm alright. Okay?"

He kept smiling. "If you insist, Mai-san." I stood from my bed, and hugged him. "Thanks for taking care of me," I whispered. I saw his smile get bigger, and I didn't think it was possible for that to happen.

He waved to me as he walked towards the door, and I waved back. When he closed the door, I felt very warm inside. I crawled back inside my bed and tried to fall asleep.

The next day, we were supposed to play volleyball with Haruhi and the others. "Izumi," I yelled. "Wanna come play volleyball with us?"

"Sure!" she shouted with a huge grin, surprisingly bigger than Itsuki's.

I gave her a note to give the teachers to get out early. "Come before your lunch period starts." She nodded, and grabbed her book bag so we could walk to school. The question is, where does she think we're playing volleyball at?

I walked into class with a smile on my face. I used to play volleyball all the time when I visit my dad back in American. But that was like, 5 years ago. That means I haven't seen my sister in 5 years. So, now I get to play volleyball with everyone. "Haruhi," I said with a smile on my face. "So, where are we playing volleyball at?"

"Duh," she said, "The volleyball court in the back!"

There's a court? I can't wait until this afternoon! While we were talking, Kyon walked in and went to his seat. "So," I said to him as he took his seat. "Did you get them?"

"Yeah," he said. "I wish I didn't have to bring my sister."

"That's okay," I said, laughing. "How old is she?"

"12, why?" he asked.

"So is mine. They might get along quite fine, Izumi loves making new friends!"

He smiled for a minute, but once the bell rang, it faded. Class went by quickly, as usual, thank goodness. When lunch break came around, I went to the front to get my sister. She was dressed in a white t-shirt with my old red shorts I wore when I was 12. "I'm ready!" she shouted. I grabbed her hand and lead her to the clubroom.

I opened the door with a smile on my face. There was Haruhi, Nagato, Mikuru, Itsuki, Kyon, Taniguchi, Kunikida, and Tsuruya, and Kyon's sister waiting for us. "Ooooh," Kyon's sister said after seeing Izumi. "Who's that?"

"Guys," I started. "This is my youngest sister, Izumi."

"Youngest?" Haruhi asked. "You have another one you could of brought?"

"She lives in Sacramento, California." I replied. "Besides, we have 11 people. Don't you think that's enough?"

"I guess," she said. "But one team will have more players than the other. Guess it could be a handicap."

So it was decided; Team SOS Brigade versus the others. Heck, they don't stand a chance with two little girls on their team. Although, Izumi is very tall like me, and is as tall and strong as Haruhi, so I guess it's not that bad.

"Mai, you serve!" Haruhi called out to me. Of course they tell the big girl to serve. I threw the ball in the air, and smacked it hard. It went back and forth for a long time. "Wow," I thought. "They're very competitive, especially Izumi. She don't care one bit that we're sisters."

When the ball got to me, I spiked it as hard as I could. The other team missed and we got a point. "Good job Mai!" she started screaming! Itsuki looked over and smiled at me. I blushed, and dazed off. He's so sweet when he smiles like that to me, and-BAM! I got hit in the face.

"1-1!" the coach shouted. Ow, that really hurt. I think that was from Tsuruya. Girls pack a punch, I guess. I had to get my head back in the game. Once they got that point, they started pounding ball at us. I got hit the face like 3 more times, Mikuru got scared and moved out of the way twice, and Nagato just stood there! We got killed 8-2. Then Haruhi grabbed Mikuru, and ran in the bathroom with her screaming,

"What is she doing in there with her?" I asked Kyon curiously.

"Probably putting her in a cheerleading outfit," he said, thinking of the time she did that to her when they played baseball.

He was right. Haruhi came out with Mikuru dressed in a white, blue and yellow cheerleading outfit. Now the teams were even with five on each time. I still can't believe two 12 year olds are kicking my butt. "Yell from your stomach!" Haruhi yelled, lifting Mikuru's arms. Tsuruya looked over and started laughing. "You look…so hilarious!" she said while laughing like she was going to choke.

While I was walking from the water fountain, I heard Kyon and Taniguchi talking about me.

"Kyon, why didn't you tell me that Mai was going to be playing?" asked Taniguchi. "Just look at her! She's hot!"

"Sorry, but she's taken," Kyon replied.

"She can't be taken by you!" Taniguchi said.

"I know, even though she is good looking. But she's his." Kyon pointed at Itsuki.

"That guy from 1-9? No way! You're lying!" said Taniguchi, with anger.

"Yes, way. I've seen her flirting with him in the clubroom and he'd blush."

Angry, Taniguchi stormed off. Honestly, Taniguchi? I don't feel the same way anyways. And Kyon can say whatever me and Itsuki are doing to my face!

As halftime was over, we went back in our positions. I let my hair down so Kyon could focus on the game and not on my hair. Itsuki was in the front with me, so he served ball. He packs a punch, too. The ball practically flew across the court and everyone missed the ball. "8-3!" the coach yelled. He's better than me!

"Where have the days gone," he said with a smile. I looked over and blushed, and got hit in the head again. "9-3!" the coach yelled. Haruhi wasn't very happy. "Mai, pay attention! Koizumi's face isn't the ball!"

I blushed even more, but I tried to focus on the game. Haruhi took the ball and served it as well as Itsuki. "9-4!" As the game kept going, we started packing more points. At the end, it was 15-15. "Last serve!" the coach shouted. Of course, Haruhi picked me to serve. I threw the ball in the air and belted it across the court. Taniguchi hit it back, and then Itsuki hit it to Tsuruya. Tsuruya hit to Kyon. It kept going back and forth until it got to Izumi. Izumi is probably one of the best on the team. She's very strong, and she's tall enough to go for a 15 year old, just a bit taller than Nagato. She doesn't care that we're sisters.

And spike! She hit the ball with great force and it flew across the court. Itsuki missed it, and so did Nagato. I jumped in the air and I smack it with my right hand. "Please go over the net, please go over the net," I thought. It went just above the net landed close enough to pass and everyone missed it. "Team SOS Brigade wins!"

Everyone watching clapped. I just noticed a crowd forming during halftime of students and a few teachers. "You did well," Itsuki said, walking over. "Since we won, Miss. Suzumiya is satisfied and we won't have to worry about closed spaces. I was worried at first, but you saved us."

"Thanks," I said, blushing. "It's not much, I played volleyball at my dad's house in California when I visited him last."

"Could you lovebirds hurry up?" Haruhi shouted. "We still have a meeting to celebrate our victory!" I laughed and ran off to Haruhi. Today wasn't that bad, even though I almost lost to my 12 year old sister.


	5. Who's My Father Again? Side Story

"Wake up, Mai!" my mom yelled, shaking me to try to wake me up. "Wake up Izumi, too! Our flight leaves at 8:00AM! You don't have to get dressed, just brush your hair and grab your bags."

Today we were leaving to visit my dad and my sister Ariana. I haven't seen them in person since I was twelve. Originally, I was going to go by myself with Izumi, but my mom changed her mind. She can hang around and talk to my dad, but there's no chance they'll ever fall back in love or even become good friends. Plus, I'm sure she'd like to visit her daughter again.

I got up and went to wake up Izumi. She was already awake and grabbing her bags and brushing her hair. Her hair was so wavy and flowy, just like my mom's, while my hair is pin straight like my dad's. It was 6:45, and the closest airport is 20 minutes away. Hopefully we should be in Sacramento by tomorrow, in case there's a flyover.

My mom fixed her hair a bit more, grabbed her bags, and ran out the door. Me and Izumi soon followed. Yay, we're going out in our pajamas. When we got to the airport, we made it just in time, got our tickets, and got on the plane. Izumi got the window seat (lucky), and she was in awe. "Onee-chan," she poked me, while I was reading another volume of Shugo Chara!, my favorite manga. "Is it scary flying on a plane?"

"Nah, not really," I assured her. "It's actually kinda thrilling, you'll see."

As the plane lifted in the air, my sister squeezed my hand and made a noise. "First time flier?" I asked. She nodded, looking terrified. Ha ha, hope she don't get air sickness.

By the time we landed, it was about 9:30 at night. So my mom had us stay in a hotel close to Sacramento so we could get some sleep. Thankfully my mom knows enough English to get by in the city, so we didn't need a translator or anything to get by. Mom had her own room, and I shared with Izumi. "Nee-chan," Izumi asked me from her side of the bed. "What's Ariana like? I don't remember her at all."

I tried to think of a good description. Last time Izumi saw her was when she was 7, and I was 12. I remember Ariana more than Izumi does, but I don't know her by heart. "She's nice," I told her. "But I heard she's pretty shy and quiet, but she's very nice. She's also very pretty."

"How pretty?" Izumi asked. "What does she look like?"

"I'm not sure," I said. "Last time I saw her, she had dirty blonde straight hair with waves on the ends, and blue eyes, just like mom's. She also wore glasses, but she might have switched to contacts like I did. She's not very tall like us."

"How tall is she? Is she shorter than Yuki-chan?"

"No, about her height," I said.

"Wow," Izumi said, intrigued. "She sounds pretty!"

I smiled. "Now be nice to her tomorrow! And treat dad with respect."

"Okay! Night Nee-chan!" She closed her eyes and rolled over on the other side of the bed. "Night, Izumi." I whispered before closing my eyes.

The next morning, we left around 9AM, and headed out to Sacramento. We were already in West Sacramento, so it won't take long to get to Ariana's. By 10AM, we reached the house. The house was pretty big, not an apartment like we're used to living in. Nice white house with a black roof, big porch, a staircase, and a big backyard. Mom stepped up first, and knocked on the door. We waited a minute, and my father came at the door.

He was a big man. About 6'2", straight brown hair and brown eyes with a bit of a beard, like the average American guy, I guess. "Miyuki," he said, "It's been a long time. Where are my precious little girls?"

"Vincent, they're not little anymore," Mom told him. "At least Mai's not anymore. She's turning 18 next year."

He leaned to the right and saw me and Izumi standing on the sidewalk. "Daddy!" Izumi screamed, running over to him with her arms wide. Dad went over and gave her a big bear hug. "You sure Izumi didn't get bigger?" he asked, messing up her hair. I stared at my father. Was this the man that broke my mother's heart? He seems so warm-hearted and sweet. He looked over at me and scratched his beard. "Stop being so shy, girly!" he called out. "Come see your old man!"

I blushed and ran over to hug my father. "Nice to see you again, dad." I said, with my head buried in his chest. He smiled and let out a big laugh. "You did get bigger, Mai," he said with a smile. "You're becoming a big girl now." I love my father a lot, even though my parents divorced. "Come on in, guys! Make yourselves at home!"

It was a big house, too. Nice couch, nice leather chair with a flat-screen, and a dog bed. "You have a dog?" Izumi asked.

"Of course," Dad answered. "Charlie!"

A big yellow dog with brown eyes came in. He looked very young, only about a year and a half. He ran over to me, and smothered me with kisses. I love dogs, but my mom never wanted to replace Kira, an Akita puppy we had to give away.

"Where's Ariana?" I asked.

"She's upstairs," my father explained. He called her downstairs. I was right about almost everything. Dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and glasses. She stared at me, Izumi, and my mother. No smile, no expression at all. It's been years since she's seen her mom and sisters.

"Ariana," my dad started. "This is your mother, and your sisters, Izumi and Maiko." He paused. "Or do you still like be referred to as Mai?"

"Mai," I said. Please don't ask about how I got the nickname Mai.

I smiled at Ariana, and she blushed. She's still as shy as she was when she was 8. After some awkward silence, my dad finally spoke. "So, what do you guys wanna do today?" he said, smiling.

"Sacramento is just one huge part of California! We may not be able to travel all around the state, but we can definitely have fun traveling." He ruffled me and Izumi's hair, and we laughed.

"The beach! The beach!" Izumi said while jumping up and down.

"Volleyball," I suggested, thinking of all us playing volleyball the last time I visited my dad, and of the times we played when I was only 8.

"We can play volleyball at the beach," he suggested. "Everyone agree to this?"

"Yeah!" Izumi shouted. Ariana smiled at my dad, while my mother nodded.

"Sure," I said. My dad smiled at the unanimous decision.

"We can all go this afternoon," he suggested. "Tomorrow, we can go shopping and light fireworks and have a picnic."

"Yay!" Izumi bursted out. After some more planning, we relaxed and settled in. Izumi was already bombarding Ariana with questions about her and Dad. Mom was relaxing on the couch reading a magazine, while my dad was in the backyard. I went and sat with my mom.

"Mom," I started. "May I ask you a question about Dad?" She blushed and set down her magazine. "S-sure M-Mai." she replied.

"You and Dad get along pretty good, I know it's none of my business, but may I know what happened? I've been wondering for years why our family came apart."

She lifted up her head from the ground and took a deep breath. "We didn't get along as well as it seems," she started. "It was constant arguing: who turn it was to pay the bills, who supposed to drive the kids to school, who's supposed to grocery shop, silly things like that. You'd think that's stupid, but it never ended. It moved to worse things I don't want to talk about, and our love fell apart. Vincent moved back to America and took Ariana with him."

Tears fell from her eyes, thinking back. "We only act like we get along so our precious daughters can enjoy their lives without wondering if Mommy is gonna be okay."

I was speechless. I wanted to cry too. I spread out my arms and gave my mom a hug. "It's okay, Mom." I said. "You're strong for doing that for our family." She looked up at me, and hugged me again. "I love you, Maiko." she said.

"I love you, too," I told her, resting my head on her shoulder, by her shoulder length blonde hair.

After a while, we got in my dad's van, and drove to the nearest beach, which was in San Francisco. The drive from Sacramento and San Francisco was an hour and a half drive. In the car, I sat next to Ariana so I could get to know her a little better. "So," I started. "Do you have to wear uniform at school?"

"No," she said, brushing her bangs out of her face. "We can wear whatever. We just can't wear backless flip flops, super small short shorts and short skirts."

"Lucky," I said. "Me and Izumi had to wear uniform after our fifth year in elementary school."

"They do things different here than in Japan," she said. "But I bet it's interesting there. I haven't been in my old house in so long."

"I only have this year and next year, and then I'm done with high school and have to find a good college," I told her. "We also have to take entrance exams to get in the best schools."

As we got to know each other more, I started to realize she was just like me. Super smart, excellent singing skills, and very passionate about art and animals.

We reached the beach at about five, giving us enough time to play volleyball and relax in the sun. We stayed for about three hours, and then we went home to my dad's chicken salad for dinner. He's a chef for a nearby restaurant, but I forget the name. I'll admit, he's a good cook, and not just because he's my dad.

"So, Mai," asked my father. "Is there anyone special in your life I have to meet?"

I blushed. I couldn't say Itsuki because we're not dating, even though I want to. "She's seeing a nice young man right now," my mom said with a smirk. "I think his name is Itsuki, right?"

"Mom! We're not going out or seeing each other!" I yelled blushing.

"Ha, so when do I get to meet my future son-in-law?" my father asked.

My face was redder than the tomatoes in my salad. "Dad! Stop it! Not in front of Ariana, especially Izumi!" I said, while Izumi was laughing, and Ariana was giggling to herself.

"Itsuki and Maiko, sitting in a tree," Izumi started. I blushed, got up, and picked up Izumi, her head dangling over my shoulder. "Come back later for dessert!" I said, carrying Izumi upstairs. I heard everyone downstairs cracking up. As I got downstairs, I was still blushing from what happened. My mother smiled at me.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" she finished.

"STOP IT, MOM!"

Sorry, Izumi, we didn't make dessert. Anyways, we stayed in America for about two weeks before going back to Japan. It was fun, and I see where I get some parts of my personality from. My dad's a whiz at algebra, and he loves music. My mom says I have his old sense of humor, and I also have his eyes (brown) and his hair texture (straight).

I resume school a day after I get back to Japan, so I have a day to relax before school. I'll admit, I missed Haruhi's wild ideas, Mikuru's tea, Yuki's monotone voice and love of books, Kyon's whining, and Itsuki's cuteness and sweet smile. Oh, I'm melting right now. Well, I better get some sleep and prepare for Monday.

Hey guys! This is Lili-chan, the writer of Nakashima Maiko no Yuutsuu! You can also see this story at .net in the Forums in the Fan Projects section! But on Fanfiction, I've added more details to the story and more lines. So keep reviewing the story, I love hearing your opinion so I can do better!

I'm also curious about pairings and favorite characters. So what pairings do you support in this fanfic? What do you think should happen in the ending? Should I make a sequel? Please answer these questions in reviews or comments. Thanks for reading the first half of Nakashima Maiko no Yuutsuu!


	6. Birthday for Two

Monday morning, yay. I miss the Golden Coast already. I wonder if Haruhi will make me do a one thousand word oral report about it. Well, at least I get to spend time with my best friends, Keiko and Shiori. And I get to see Itsuki-kun again!

After classes, I went straight to the clubroom. I was pretty pumped for today. When I walked through the door, I gave everyone a sweet smile, and sat next to Itsuki and Mikuru. They both smiled back at me. "How was vacation?" Mikuru asked with a smile.

"Good," I replied. "I got to see my family, and I'm so happy."

Itsuki smiled. "That's good."

Wait a minute, where's Haruhi? I wonder if she's kidnapping another student. We sat there for a while and just had some small talk, that's it. It's very quiet without Haruhi in the room.

"HI EVERYONE!" Haruhi yelled, kicking the door opening. Yep, the silence didn't last long. "I've brought another client with me! Now don't be shy!" She grabbed a young girl's hand, and pulled her in.

She looked pretty cute: mid-neck black hair, pale skin with green eyes and a short blue necklace, matching her uniform. "This is Mika Fukuda!" Haruhi announced. "She's a freshman who came all the way up here just to see us."

She bowed. "I-I wanted to know if you guys could h-help me. It would mean a lot." She had such a soft voice, a little deeper than Mikuru's.

She blushed and took a seat by Kyon.

"Of course! The SOS Brigade can help everyone!" Haruhi shouted.

"Um…thanks," Mika started. "Have you guys watched the news lately and saw something about a 21 year old girl?"

"I have," Kyon said. "Why, is it about her?"

"Y-yeah," Mika replied. "Her name is Miki Fukuda. She's my oldest sister. S-She's m-missing."

She started to tear up, and she laid a picture on the table. Miki was pretty too. She had long black hair down to her waist in a ponytail with a red ribbon with glasses and brown eyes. Mika looked a lot like her. "She went missing about 2 weeks ago, a-and her birthday is the same day as mine. I wanna spread the word, and find her so we could share our birthday together at the same table once again!" Mika's voice boomed at the last sentence.

"Where did you last see her?" Haruhi asked.

"Outside in the backyard, working in her garden at her house. She invited me over for lunch," she said.

"Anything suspicious going on at her house?" Haruhi asked.

"Not really," said Mika. "All I know is that the last time I saw her, it was at lunchtime two Saturdays ago."

"Could you give us her address, if you know it?" I asked.

She grabbed a piece of paper, and wrote down the address. 782 W. Sakamoto St: about a 15 minute walk from here. She handed it to me. "Please find Onee-chan for me. I miss her," Mika whispered.

I nodded, "Of course," I said. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

She sniffed. "Thank you." She grabbed her bag and ran out of the clubroom. I hope we can keep our promise to Mika. "We have to search very hard to keep our promise to Mika," I said. "She could be anywhere right now, and she's an adult, so it might be hard to get a runaway to trust us."

Haruhi took the paper and copied 5 sheets for everyone. "Everyone meet at the house after school at 4:30! No excuses if you're late!"

So, after school, we met in front of Fukuda's house. Kyon was last to show up, and I arrived after Haruhi. "Kyon! You're late! Penalty!"

"But I'm 5 minutes early!" Kyon argued.

"But you were last, so we had to wait for you. You'll pay for our snack as punishment!" Haruhi replied.

"Don't I always," I heard Kyon mumble.

"Haruhi," I started. "How are we supposed to get in? Do you think Mika left it open for us?"

Nagato walked over to the door, and opened it with no trouble. "I guess she did," I said, walking over to the door. The house is clean, so I guess she wasn't kidnapped or anything. But you never know. The first places we checked were Fukuda's garden, kitchen, and her bedroom.

"Me and Mikuru will check outside, Kyon and Yuki can check the kitchen, and you and Itsuki can check the bedroom," Haruhi told me. Of course you send us to the bedroom. The bedroom was medium sized with a white rug, a couple posters, and full sized bed. "What a nice bedroom," Itsuki said. I looked at him with worry. "I'll search the closet and stuff for clues," I suggested. I think it would be disturbing if a teenage boy was snooping through your drawers and closet. He nodded in agreement.

"Do you think we'll find Fukuda?" I asked him curiously.

"The chances are equal," he said. "If Miss. Suzumiya wishes to find her quickly, then we might find her just in time for their birthdays."

After some silent looking, Haruhi ran upstairs screaming, "You guys better not be making out!" I blushed and looked at the door. BOOM! She falcon kicked the door open! How does she get her strength?

Wishing for it? Red Bull? "We've been looking long enough, let's go."

We all went outside the house with no luck. I can't believe we made a promise we might not be able to keep. I hope Itsuki is right. About 20 minutes after leaving, we returned back without Haruhi. "I sense a huge amount of energy similar to closed space," said Itsuki.

"I do, too." I said. Kyon stared at me. "You're an esper too?"

"Yeah, I'll explain later," I told him. "It was up in Fukuda's bedroom, right Itsuki?"

"You're correct," he said. "This might be the same incident we had with the Computer Club's president. Mai-san, since you weren't in North High when this happened, I'll explain to you when we get there."

Yay, more time to use my freaky esper powers. Nagato re-opened the door, and we all ran upstairs. "Yep, it's definitely coming from Miss. Fukuda's bedroom," Itsuki said. "Everyone, close your eyes and relax."

We all obeyed. After a minute, I felt like I was doing flips and spins all over the place. It felt so weird. After a little bit, we all landed in a huge sandy area. "W-W-What the heck?" I screamed. "How did we get here?"

"That's classified," said Mikuru.

I didn't understand anything about this wacky place or closed space or whatever it is! Then, I heard grunting noises and stomping noises. I looked behind me and there was a giant cricket! "What the hell, Itsuki?" I yelled. "Care to explain?"

"The source of energy is coming from the cricket," said Nagato. "It has escaped again and has Miki Fukuda trapped inside."

"Fukuda's inside that thing?" me and Kyon yelled at the same time.

"That is correct." Nagato answered. How could she be so calm during this? Well, she is an alien after all. Itsuki held out his hand with a red glowing ball above it. "We could still activate our powers in here," he said with a smile. "If we defeat the cricket, Miss. Fukuda will return to normal."

"And how do you expect us to do that?" I asked.

"Have you forgotten you're an esper? Lay out your arm." He held my arm in the same position. "Now, concentrate."

After a minute or two, a red sphere glowed above my hand. "Wow…" I said in amazement. I'm really not normal. "Could you guys just beat this thing already?" Kyon asked with an annoyed tone in his voice.

"As you wish," Itsuki said. He turned to me, grabbed my hand, and jumped up in the air. He threw the glowing spheres at the cricket as it started to break down. I couldn't believe Fukuda was in that thing. I did the same thing he did, shouting special attacks at different times.

When I looked down, Nagato had her hand out too. I'll guess she's doing something as well. Kyon stood still and frightened while Mikuru held on to Kyon's leg like a scared kitten. After a while, the cricket started to break down into sand and me and Itsuki returned to the ground. I was tired, but not as tired as last time when I collapsed.

"Are you alright, Mai-san?" Itsuki asked, putting his arms out in case I collapse of exhaustion. I turned around, took a breath, and answered him. "I'm fine, thanks. I'm not gonna collapse again."

"You collapsed while doing this?" Kyon asked, confused.

"Yeah," I answered. "It's not an easy job at all. That's why we need you to keep Haruhi stable and happy."

He nodded. Pretty soon, the closed space started to fade and we returned to Fukuda's room. The room looked the exact same way, but I didn't see Fukuda. "Where is she?" I asked Itsuki. Itsuki pointed to the bed. I looked over and saw tired Fukuda sleeping peacefully on the bed. After a while, she woke up and stared at us.

"Huh? Who are you kids?" she asked angrily. "And what are you doing in my house?"

"Miss. Fukuda, is it?" I started. "Do you have a younger sister named Mika Fukuda?"

She stared at me. "Y-yeah. She's a freshman. How did you know I had a sister?"

"Your sister is worried," I said. "She said she thought you went missing. She called your cellphone, house phone, and her parents and went to the house looking for you. She came to us, the SOS Brigade to help search for you. She wanted to find you so you guys could celebrate your birthdays together."

Fukuda started to tear up. "Where is she now?"

"Right here," said a voice. We turned over to the door and saw Mika in the doorway. "I missed you, Onee-chan!"

Fukuda blushed, "Mika! I'm so sorry for putting you through that. I'm fine now." She got up from the bed and hugged her sister. Mika turned to us and smiled. "Thank you, SOS Brigade, thank you."

I smiled and turned to the group. Yuki just stood there with a blank face. Kyon, Mikuru, and Itsuki were smiling. If only they knew the director of this crazy club.

The next day in the clubroom, Haruhi looked satisfied. "So, you guys found Miki?"

"Yes," said Itsuki. "She was just hiding around her home."

"Hmm…" said Haruhi. "That's strange to do."

Really Haruhi? I thought you liked stuff like that. Oh well, another job completed, I guess.


	7. Ramen! Eat it Up!

A few weeks after exams, we were sitting in the clubroom, waiting for Haruhi to show up. Mikuru was cleaning the teacup and the pots, Kyon was playing chess with Itsuki, Nagato was reading a book, and I was sitting by Itsuki, watching him play. I leaned in and whispered a move in his ear, "Move your rook forward near Kyon's king, he hasn't moved it yet, and his pawns aren't in the way."

He laughed, and followed my directions. Kyon frowned, "Just be glad your girlfriend was helping you."

We both blushed, and I got angry. "I bet he could still kick your butt in chess without me. How about you buy me lunch today if he wins?"

"Deal," he said with a smirk. We shook hands and I backed away from Itsuki's seat. I sat there, smiling at how I was going to make him buy me a nice lunch. My joy didn't last long because the next thing I knew-BAM! Haruhi kicked open the door. "Sorry I'm late everyone! I was filling out these!"

She laid on the table ramen eating flyers, it said:

RAMEN EATING CONTEST

When: Saturday, May 26th, 2011

Where: Takahashi's Restaurant

Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Yes, a ramen eating contest. Ramen is one of my favorite foods in the entire world. I could live on it, especially the chicken and beef kinds. "Haruhi," I started. "I'm so in if you entered the SOS Brigade. I love ramen!"

"U-um…Miss. Suzumiya," Mikuru said. "I can't eat very fast or a-a lot."

"Then just try Mikuru!" shouted Haruhi. "I signed us up for the juniors competition, which start at 1:30 tomorrow! We all have to show up in front of the restaurant at 1:10! If one of you doesn't show up, we all lose, so if you don't show up, you get the death penalty!"

"She really don't mean death, right?" I asked Kyon. Kyon shook his head. "You won't believe how many times I got the death penalty."

Actually, I believe it, Kyon. You're quite lazy. "What do you say, Yuki? Will ya do it?" Haruhi asked.

"Yes." Yuki simply answered. Mikuru and Itsuki nodded their head in agreement. "This sounds interesting," said Itsuki with a smile. Darn, he knows I can't resist that sweet smile. He's teasing me!

"Alright then!" Haruhi said, slamming her hand on the table. "Remember to drink some water to expand your stomachs and don't eat too much before the contest! We have to win!"

I love ramen, and I once ate 5 whole bowls of it at home, so this should be a snap. "How do we determine who wins?"

"The person who eats the most with his or her team wins!" Haruhi answered.

The next day, I only ate a piece of toast and yogurt before the contest. "Aren't you hungry, Maiko?" my mom asked me, disappointed.

"Very," I said. "But my friend entered me into a ramen eating contest, so I shouldn't eat much."

"Okay then," my mom said, patting my shoulder. "I know how much you love ramen, but please don't throw up." After that, she walked back into the kitchen. Izumi walked in the room with a huge lollipop in her hand. "Where did you get the lollipop?" I asked.

"Ayami," she said. "Her dad works in a candy store, and he gets a bunch of candy for Ayami every day!"

Ayami Sasaki was Izumi's best friend and her classmate. She's a sweet girl: dark blue hair to her chest with brown eyes. And just like her dad, she loves sweets.

After some awkward silence, my cellphone rang with the Toradora theme song. It was Itsuki. "Hello?" I answered.

"Is Mai-san available?"

I laughed. "It's me."

"Oh," said Itsuki. "You sound a lot like your mother."

I blushed. "I'm told that all the time."

He laughed. "Would you like to walk to the restaurant with me?"

"Sure," I said. "When will you be here?"

"About 12:45," said Itsuki. "I'll see you in two hours."

"Okay," I said. I said a quick goodbye, then hung up. I walked over to Izumi's room afterwards. I have fast metabolism, so I can eat a lot and not get very fat. "Izumi," I called. "Does Ayami have anymore candy? I'm starving!"

After eating a small bag of skittles, I went to get ready. I shouldn't wear anything too nice because I'm probably going to spill a bit of ramen on me.

When I was done showing, I did my hair and got dressed. I wore a white shirt with 'California 1967' written in dark pink print with a denim vest, black short shorts, and tennis shoes. Itsuki came to the door right on time and we left right on time.

"You sure you guys don't need a ride to Takahashi's?" offered my mom. "It's a far walk."

"No thank you Miss. Nakashima," Itsuki said with the same sweet smile he teases me with. My mother blushed. Mom, he's mine! Don't even think about it. And your 39 and he's 17.

As we were walking down the street, Itsuki softly brushed against my hand and I blushed. "So, what do you say about North High?"

"Other than the fact I was dragged to the SOS Brigade, pretty good," I replied.

"That's good," said Itsuki. He paused for a minute. "I'm a transfer student from Kouyouen as well,"

"Really?" I asked. "Well, I'm not surprised. You're very smart."

Itsuki blushed and looked down. "Thank you."

I smiled. I love being with Itsuki, I could be with him everyday if he let me. I stopped daydreaming and looked at the street sign. "Weren't we supposed to turn at the last corner?" I asked.

Itsuki looked up and looked at his watch. "Yes, looks like we weren't paying attention. We have 10 minutes, no problem."

Takahashi's is 15 minutes away! And I'm not being late so I have to suffer the death penalty, whatever the heck it is! I grabbed Itsuki's hand. "We have to run," I said. "We're definitely not going to make it by walking!"

He blushed and started to match my pace. Good thing I wore tennis shoes! While we cut 5 minutes off our route, I tripped on my shoelace and Itsuki went down with me. Come on! Why doesn't anything work out?

"Am I spoiling something?" a voice said from above. It was Kyon! I blushed and tried to get from under Itsuki. If you saw how we were positioned, you'd think the same thing Kyon was thinking. "Make a wrong turn, too?" I asked, annoyed.

"Maybe," Kyon mumbled. "I've never been to Takahashi's."

"We have no time for conversation," I said. I grabbed Itsuki's hand again and starting running. "Follow us!" I screamed.

Luckily, we made it just on time. Haruhi, Mikuru, and Nagato were waiting patiently. Kyon slowly arrived a little after us. "Late again, Kyon?" Haruhi asked, annoyed. "Penalty!"

"But Itsuki and Mai!" Kyon started. "Whatever…"

"Alright! Let's go!" Haruhi shouted. She grabbed Mikuru's hand and ran with her in the restaurant. Itsuki smiled at me, "Ready?"

I smiled back, "Ready."

When I walked in, I looked at our opponents. They were twice our size! And they were almost all guys! "Haruhi," I said. "They're probably over 200 pounds!"

"So?" Haruhi said annoyed. "We're still smaller, so we can eat more."

Fine. We are going to win, and I'm not going to take crap from people who say we won't. "Teams, are you ready to eat?" yelled the referee. I took a seat and took a deep breath. This is it, I hope we win.

"Ready…set…" started the referee. "EAT!"

I shoved the bowls in my mouth as fast as I could. Man, this was so good. I had shoved about 4 bowls in the first five minutes. Mikuru looked like she couldn't eat one more bite, while everyone else was going strong, especially Nagato. "Look at the SOS Brigade go!" shouted the referee. "Especially Nagato and Nakashima! These girls are eating it up, literally!"

Eight full bowls, devoured. Haruhi, Itsuki, and Kyon were trying to keep up with us. "Nine bowls from Ryouta Yamato!" the referee shouted. Damn, I'm so close to beating them! I might not be able to beat a guy, but I'll keep pushing it.

Eleven bowls in ten minutes. I will not stop until I throw up. Everyone was out except me, Nagato, and Itsuki. "Come on, Mai!" Haruhi shouted. "You're killing them!"

Ugh…I was getting full. But I have to push it. There's only 2 minutes left, and Yamato is ahead by 2 bowls. I started grabbing two bowls at a time and shoved the ramen in my mouth.

Only 20 seconds on the clock and I've eaten seventeen bowls. I'm past my limit, but I have to push it. I'm ahead by one bowl, and I have to keep it up. The crowd started the 10 second countdown.

"GO MAI!" everyone at my table was shouting. I was the only one in my table still eating. "3…2…1…STOP!" I started to pant. "Dear god," I thought. "I feel sick."

"SOS Brigade wins!" The whole room clapped for us. I feel proud of myself for not being sick. I won't be eating until next week. Itsuki walked over to me from the table."Congratulations," he said with that sweet smile I adore. "I didn't think you'd be able to eat so much, but you proved me wrong. We're very proud of you."

He patted me on the back, but I stopped him. "Please don't," I asked. "I didn't think I could go past ten, but I did double."

"Pocky, anyone?" Haruhi asked me. What the heck? I just ate twenty one bowls of hot ramen!


	8. It's a Paradise, Right? Right! Part 1

Monday morning, and I still felt weird from the ramen eating contest from Saturday. My mom wanted me to stay home, but I assured her I was well enough to go to school. So I skipped breakfast, and just walked Izumi to school.

After classes, like usual, we went to the clubroom and starting doing what we normally do. Mikuru was doing her final exams, since she'll be graduating next year. I'll miss her; it will be lonely without her tea and her sweet personality.

"Kyon," I said, calling him over to whisper something in his ear. I covered his ear, "Mikuru's graduating next year, aren't you going to say something?"

He blushed. "What do you mean? And stay out of my business!"

I gave him a smirk. "Who woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" I asked while playing with his hair. "And I know you like her, and I don't blame you, she's a cute girl."

"You sound you like her yourself," Kyon said with an annoyed tone.

I ignored that. "You could at least give her a hug and tell her you miss her. I didn't say you had to kiss her."

He blushed again, and stopped talking. Ha ha. I took a seat right next to Itsuki, who was reading one of Nagato's old books. "Hi," I said, poking him. No response, just a blink. I was starting to feel weird. "Itsuki-kun," I said in my cutest voice. No response. I got annoyed and slammed my head into the table.

He quickly looked over. "Are you alright, Mai-san?" he asked.

I looked up at him with angry brown eyes. "You completely ignored me! And no, I'm still sick from Saturday."

"Oh," he said, looking upset. "Sorry, I was concentrating on one of Nagato-san's books." He messed up my bangs, and I blushed.

Haruhi slammed the door opening yet again and walked over to the table. "I've got big news for us!" she shouted. "Koizumi, will you explain?"

"We're going back to the island we went to last year," he explained. "They invited us back since everyone had a great time last year."

Kyon looked at Itsuki suspiciously. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it, Mai-san," said Itsuki with a smile. "Some of us will have to share rooms since there isn't enough for all of us."

We all arranged who will have single rooms and who will share. Izumi and Kyon's sister is staying with us as well, and their sharing a room. Haruhi and I are sharing a room. Nagato and Mikuru have single rooms, and Itsuki and Kyon are sharing a room.

"Why did I have to share a room with Koizumi?" Kyon mumbled, annoyed. To be honest, Kyon, I'd be more than happy to take your place. But my mom would _**FREAK **_if she found out we shared a room.

We left next Friday and got on a huge boat. Haruhi was wearing a sky blue camisole with '34' printed in gold and light denim shorts. Nagato wore a light green tank top and a black skirt. Mikuru wore a pink shirt with butterflies and a white skirt. Kyon wore a dark blue shirt with a white undershirt and jeans. Itsuki wore a dark red polo that was a bit unbuttoned at the top (with a bit of his chest showing!) and blue jeans. And I wore a white silky polo with a black belt at the waist, a black headband, and a black miniskirt.

Me, Itsuki, and Kyon were hanging over the boat while the girls were playing cards. I've never been on a boat, and the ocean was beautiful. I couldn't help but look over at Itsuki and stare at his chest. I couldn't wait to see him at the beach with a smoking hot body. After a bit of daydreaming, I noticed my right eye was blurry. My contact! It must have fallen out and it was my only pair! "Itsuki," I said, tugging his shirt, "Could you help look for my contact? I need it or I can't see."

He smiled and helped me. When the others noticed us on the floor, they got down, too. "Nee-chan," said Izumi, "Your contact fell out?"

"Yeah," I said. "Did you remember to pack my glasses?"

She nodded. I hated wearing my glasses because I thought I looked ugly in them. She went in the back, looked for my bag, and took out my glasses' case. "I'll help you put it in," she said, going in the ship's bathroom with me. Without her, I could get hurt, because I'm pretty blind without contacts or glasses. I fumbled with the glasses a bit and managed to get them on in a few minutes. I came out of the bathroom, blushing a bit. "I look ugly, don't I?" I asked.

"You look...fine." said Itsuki, having a hint of red on his cheeks.

I started to blush as well. He thought I looked nice with glasses, so I felt a bit better. "The wind might have blown your contact out," Kyon suggested.

After a few minutes, we arrived at the port. Itsuki stepped out first, and Mr. Arakawa (see chapter 3) and a maid who looked like she was in her mid-twenties. "It's been a while," said Itsuki with that sweet smile. God damnit, Itsuki!

"In case you've forgotten," said Itsuki. "This is Mr. Arakawa and Miss. Sonou Mori."

I knew Arakawa was an esper, but I've never met Mori. She looked friendly, but looks can be deceiving. But I trust that Itsuki would never put us somewhere to be harmed.

We got back on a private boat, which Arakawa drove, and I sat next to Itsuki and Mikuru. Feeling a bit tired, I accidentally rested my head on Itsuki's shoulder. I looked up at him and blushed. "Do you mind if I rest?" I asked him, turning redder. He shook his head, blushing, and I laid my head down.

Turns out, I fell asleep on the boat, and I felt someone shake me lightly. "We're here," I heard a voice say. I opened my eyes and it was Mikuru. She smiled and I got up and got off the boat. A guy who looked a little like Kyon with lighter skin was waiting for us.

"Welcome," he said with a warm smile a little similar to Itsuki's. He looks more like Kyon's relative than Itsuki's. I caught up to Nagato and Haruhi, who were in the front. "That was Yutaka Tamuru," said Itsuki to me. "His older brother is the owner of the mansion."

We knocked on the door and a tall man opened the door. He had a soft tan with dark gray hair and a warm smile. "Welcome back," he said with a smile. He looked at me and laughed. "Oh?" he asked. "You have a new one?"

"Mai-san," said Itsuki. "This is Keiichi Tamaru, Mr. Yutaka's older brother."

"Is this the girl you've been telling me about?" asked Keiichi,

Itsuki blushed and looked down, and Keiichi laughed. "Ha, she's pretty." he said, picking at a part of my hair. "Just like you said she was."

Itsuki's face got redder. "Would you like to come in?" he asked, changing the subject. The mansion was huge; in front of us stood a large stairway with a couple statues and the living room to the left. After a bit of a tour, Itsuki showed us our rooms. I went in my room with Haruhi. "Wow," Haruhi said in amazement. "It feels bigger than last time."

"I heard they just finished the mansion." I said. There were two double beds with a maroon wall and an ocean view by the window.

"So, what are we doing after this?"

"After this, we're going to the beach!" Haruhi shouted. "Just put on your bathing suit now, it'll save time."

I wore a yellow bikini top with yellow short shorts since my mom disagrees with my bathing suit choices, even though I'm turning 17 in 3 weeks.

I put on my cover up and went outside the bedroom to waiting for the others. Haruhi explained to them that we were going to the beach, and Izumi and Kyon's sister ran to their room before Haruhi could finish speaking. Ha ha, kids these days.

The beach was beautiful: a big volleyball court, a bunch of people, and a huge blue ocean. Once we got there, the girls ran straight to the ocean while I laid around with Kyon, Nagato, and Itsuki. I was right, Itsuki and Kyon both looked super hot, especially Itsuki. I sat next to Itsuki and smiled at him. "It's beautiful here," I said. "How could you afford it?"

"It wasn't expensive," said Itsuki with a smile. "The master and his brother are distant relatives of mine, and we stayed last year as well."

"And it wasn't trouble bringing Izumi and Kyon's sister, right?" I asked. "I hope Izumi's not a bother with her high amount of energy."

"Not at all," he said laughing. He stood up and grabbed a beach ball. "Do you wanna mess around for a bit?"

I laughed and ran toward the water with him behind me. "Kyon! Nagato!" I shouted. "Come play!"

Kyon stood up and tried to get Nagato to stop reading. Me and Itsuki ran in the ocean and got Haruhi and the others to play with us. "I love the beach!" Izumi shouted, hitting the beach ball.

When we got back to the house, a nice dinner with lobster and salads and a lot more was prepared by Mr. Arakawa. Everyone was happy and they had a great time. Izumi was talking her ass off about all the things me and her do at home.

"And in America," Izumi started. "Nee-chan lifted me over her shoulder when I was talking about her and Icchan kissing!"

We both blushed and looked down. "Would you shut up, Izumi?" I asked, annoyed. "Me and Itsuki never kissed, and what's with this Icchan business?"

Itsuki laughed and blushed. "It's alright, Mai-san," he assured me. She's been calling him Icchan ever since she met him. I should of expected this from Izumi, but come on? She's 12, going on 13!

After dinner, we went upstairs and played a bunch of silly games. "Let's play Seven Minutes in Heaven!" suggested Izumi. What the heck, Izumi? "Let's not," I said. "Besides, you're too young to play, and I refused to let you kiss a 17 year old, or Mom will be up my ass for days if I let you."

"Let's play that!" Haruhi shouted. "Everyone write down a number."

If I had to make out with anyone, I hoped it'd be Itsuki. I just really hope I don't have to kiss Haruhi or anything!

"4 and 8," Haruhi called out, pointing to the balcony. I was 4, but who was 8? Itsuki stood up with a smile on his face and a blushing starting to cross his cheeks. "To the balcony, guys! And you can't leave _until _you kiss." said Haruhi with a smile.

I blushed and walked to the balcony with Itsuki.

**[Hey guys! Lili-chan again, leaving you with a cliff-hanger here! This part of the story is so long we have to divide it in two parts! Only four more chapters until Chapter Twelve (The End?) Questions will start to arise to viewers: will Mikuru be back for another year at North High for Haruhi? How will Haruyon (Haruhi x Kyon) and Maisuki (Maiko x Itsuki) turn out? Who knows what could happen in as third year in high school? I hope you stick to the end with me on The Melancholy of Maiko Nakashima!]**


	9. It's a Paradise, Right? Right! Part 2

How did I know Haruhi would pick me and Itsuki's numbers to go to the balcony? Fate? Haruhi wished it? I just don't know. I shouldn't question it though. Itsuki is someone I'd actually kiss and want to be with for the rest of my life.

The balcony was beautiful as well: the full moon was out, shining on the ocean, making the blue waves glimmer. There were candles out on the ends of the arm rest, and beautiful flowers and plants surrounding the balcony. I took a seat on the couch right next to Itsuki. "Mai-san," Itsuki started. "It's alright with me if you don't want to go too far with anything."

"Thanks," I said, blushing. At the parties I went to, the guys usually never cared if the girl was comfortable or not with going crazy with kissing. Itsuki placed his hand on my hand and I looked up at him.

"In my opinion," Itsuki said, blushing. "I think you look beautiful with glasses. I don't understand how you think you look ugly with them on." He pushed my glasses further on my face gently.

"Itsuki," I asked. "Did you mean what you said when you carried me home that night?"

He blushed and looked down. "Yes, I did," he said, starting to whisper. "I care about you deeply and wouldn't want anything to happen to you. If something were to happen, I'd blame myself for not doing more to save you."

We stared at each other which felt like a long time. I wanted to kiss him, the time felt right. Even though it was a dare, it was a dare I'd take everyday. I placed my hands on his cheeks and gazed in his eyes.

"Mai-chan," Itsuki started. "We could be punished by the Agency for being off focus."

"This is what Haruhi wants us to do," I said. "Right?"

He blushed and looked at me. He started to lean in slowly and I did too. My perfect first kiss, here at the beach. Just what I needed right now. Right before our lips were about to touch, Haruhi opened the door and ruined the moment. She blushed seeing the way we looked. Itsuki's arms were wrapped around my waist and my hands were on the sides of his face. "Time's up?" Haruhi said, shocked.

We stood up and walked in the room. I looked down and noticed he was still holding my hand. Kyon watched us, suspiciously. "Did you guys make out or something?" he asked, curiously.

We blushed. "No," I said. "But we almost kissed. Don't tell Haruhi we didn't, though."

The next pairs were Haruhi and Kyon, Nagato and Mikuru, Itsuki and Haruhi, and me and Kyon. It was so awkward with me and Kyon. We didn't know what to do; we just stared at each other the whole time.

I don't think the others got further than a kiss on the cheek.

The next morning, I didn't see Izumi at the breakfast table. "Did Izumi sleep with one of you guys?" I asked, curiously. Izumi loves breakfast, and bentos were her favorite, which we served today. No one said yes. I ran up to the girls' room. I saw Kyon's sister putting on a necklace and a headband. "Hey," I said. "Do you know where Izumi is?"

"Izumi-chan?" she asked, confused. "I haven't seen her since that game you guys were playing."

I started to shake. This island is very big, and Izumi doesn't know her way around. I ran downstairs with Kyon's sister not so far behind me. "Have any of you guys seen Izumi?" I asked, panic increasing in my voice.

Everyone shook their heads. I started to freak out. Where could she have gone? Someone would of heard her if she snuck out last night! I fell to my knees, starting in tears. Everyone got up and went towards me. I couldn't imagine what could have happened to poor Izumi. She's only 12! Itsuki wrapped his arm around me. "We'll help you find her," he said with a serious face.

I sniffed and looked up at everyone. They looked serious as well. Well, what the [CENSORED] would you think if your younger sister was no where to be seen? "Shall I call the police?" asked Mori.

No, Mori. We should sit around, paint ourselves blue, and call ourselves Smurfs. "Immediately," Itsuki suggested. I ran up to my room in tears, and fell backward on the bed. Izumi was so young, anything could have happened to her! "Wait," I thought. "There are other places on the island to search!"

I looked out the window and the storm was terrible. No hint of blue or sunlight, and rain and wind everywhere. Oh well, my sister is important, even though she can be a pain in the neck! I threw on my red jacket and ran outside. "Mai!" shouted Kyon. "What are you doing?"

"Finding my sister," I yelled from the door. "Instead of sitting on my ass like you!" I slammed the door and ran down the path. My glasses were getting soaked, but I can't wipe them right now! What a coincidence it had to storm the day Izumi went missing. If Haruhi wished for something like that, if I was allowed, I'd choke the girl!

I kept shouting for Izumi. "Izumi!" I shouted in pain. "This isn't funny! Come out if you're hiding!" It was hard to tell if my face was wet from the rain or the tears that were still falling from my face. After get a bit up the mountain, I tripped and landing on my ankle. I yelled in bloody pain. I tried to get up and walk, but I could barely move my foot without pain.

"It's over," I thought. Both me and my sister are going to die out here. Izumi is no where to be found on the island, an endless possibilities of what could have happened to her. And it badly storming out here, I've managed to get far from the mansion, and I can barely walk.

Before I was about to close my eyes and give up, I saw someone in front of me. I looked up slowly, and it was Izumi! Her wavy light brown hair had been flattened to straight hair from the rain soaking it. Her white shirt was soaked as well, so her camisole was visible.

"Nee-chan!" she shouted. She hugged me tightly, not wanting to let go. I stared up at her with tears. "W-W-Where have y-you've been?" I muttered weakly.

She stared at me. "I took a walk around the island this morning while everyone was still asleep," she said, feeling guilty. "It started to pour down, so I ran into the cave. Then, I heard a scream, and ran outside." She got on her knees beside me and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry, Nee-chan," she started to cry.

I felt tired and weak. I looked at my hand and noticed the blood on my arm from when I tripped. "Do you have your cellphone?" I asked her, about to close my eyes and rest. She nodded.

"Please…call…somebody…" I mumbled before closing my eyes. I never thought my death would happen at such a so called beautiful place. So many things I've never accomplished, my mother would be ashamed of us for being so naïve. Well, I guess this is goodbye, Haruhi Suzumiya…

_*What happened__, Izumi's point of view*_

_I__ grabbed my phone out of my pocket and called the first contact of people on the island: Itsuki. I quickly dialed the number, praying he'd pick up. In a matter of seconds, he picked up. "Hello?" he answered quickly? "Any luck, Mai?"_

"_It's me, Izumi," I answered. I heard Itsuki gasped. "We've been searching for you all morning," he said. He paused for a moment. "Where's Mai-san?"_

_I paused, looking down at her. Her pale body was still moving, so I figured she was still breathing. Blood was still coming from her hands, matching her red jacket. "She's…" I paused, thinking of the best words to describe her. I knew Itsuki cared about her very much, so I had to describe it carefully. "She's hurt." I said, just putting it out there. "She tripped and twisted her ankle. Her hands are scraped, too, and she passed out. We need help, __**fast**__." _

_I noticed Itsuki starting to heavy breath. He was very worried, I could tell. "Where are you?" he asked, trying to stay calm._

"_At the mountain on the left of the mansion," I said. "She's still breathing, but she needs help."_

_I described more details to Itsuki, and he hung up. I got back on my knees besides Nee-chan. "Don't die," I said in tears. "I need you. I promise I'll never run off like that again. I love you too much." _

_Before I knew it, Arakawa-sama's car pulled up on the path. Out the car came Haruhi, Kyon, and Itsuki. Itsuki and Arakawa-sama walked up the mountain as fast as possible without tripping. They both carefully picked up Nee-chan, and walked down to the car. I walked down with them. I squeezed in the middle between Haruhi and Kyon. _

_Itsuki held Nee-chan in his lap and stared at her. I could tell he was about to break down crying if he wasn't around us. "It's okay to cry," I said with a hint of worry in my voice. Itsuki looked back at us and didn't say a word on the ride home._

_*End of Izumi's point of view*_

I woke up on the couch, covered in blankets and warm clothes. I was still in pain from the fall, but it was a lot better now. Mori sat at the end of the couch, bandaging my ankle. I looked up and everyone was staring at me. "You took a hard hit," said Itsuki. "Me and Mr. Arakawa carried you home and made sure you stayed warm."

I blushed. "You guys," I started. "You guys saved our lives."

"Of course," said Mori, looking up at me. "You could have died if you were out there much longer." She got up and smiled. "Try not to run, if possible," she suggested. "Nothing bad, just a sprain."

I uncovered myself. I was wearing something different than before. I had on one of my sundresses and a different jacket. "Who's is this?" I asked, pointing at the jacket.

"I made Kyon give up his for you," said Haruhi. I would have thought it was Itsuki's. It looks more like something he'd wear. Oh well, no big deal. Mikuru was smiling in the background and Nagato still had a blank expression. You know, I'd still think that she'd have a different expression, considering the fact I almost died!

The remainder of the trip was normal and very fun. One night, we lit fireworks and had a picnic on the beach. And on another, we stargazed. The boat ride home was peaceful as well.

We all sat at one of the tables in the back of the ship. We were all playing Go Fish, and Mikuru was winning. "Wow," she said in amazement. "I don't win at this game very often."

I smiled. "Me neither," I said, tying in second. Kyon looked at me. "Aren't you going to tell your mom about what happened?" he asked.

I looked at Izumi. Her happy smile turned into a frown. "Izumi," I started. "You should take punishment for what you've done."

She put on a pouting face that made her face look somewhat like a chibi. "Fine," she said, upset. "I guess your right."

I guess? Because your actions, I could of died! All of a sudden a grin appeared on her face. "Then I get to tell everyone your secrets, especially _that_ one" She raised her eyebrows.

"Izumi, don't you dare tell them jack!"

**Wow…big hits of tragedy and romance for Maisuki (Maiko x Itsuki). In the beginning, you had to know something was going to happen ;)**

**Anyways, Izumi going missing in the storm came up randomly, and I thought it'd be nice touch of suspense on the characters, especially that you get to see more of what Izumi's really thinking, and when she's not tormenting Mai. I hope to see you at Chapter 10 of The Melancholy of Maiko Nakashima!**


	10. Night at the Takamas! Side Story

Ah…a night with my girlfriends is exactly what I need. My best friends Shiori and Keiko were throwing another crazy party to celebrate moving to 12th grade. Shiori Takama has been one of my best friends since I was 12. We went from East Junior High to Kouyouen, and she moved last year to North High, but she's in class 1-7. Keiko Tsukamoto is a friend of Shiori's, and when Shiori introduced her to me, we eventually became best friends as well.

The slumber party was on Hayama Ave at Shiori's house. Keiko has three dogs, a bird, and a snake, so everyone got scared away once she said snake. Thank god Hayama is only two blocks away; I don't feel like walking around at this hour.

I rang the doorbell, and Shiori answered almost right away. Her bright red side bang nearly covered her left eye. She brushed it out of the way. "Mai!" she shouted, hugging me. "We barely hang out anymore! Make your self at home!"

Me and Keiko weren't the only ones there. There was Manami Ito and Chiasa Sakurai. I knew them from seeing them around. "Guys," started Shiori. "Do you know Mai Nakashima?"

Chiasa whipped her wavy dark brown hair out of her face. "I've seen her around," she said, blushing. "But we don't really talk."

"She's in my class," Manami said. "I really don't get the chance to talk to her since she's always talking to Suzumiya and Kyon."

Keiko perked up. "Oh yeah," she said smiling. "You have to tell us what it's like in the SOS Brigade. I heard she dragged you there just because you're the tallest girl in the 11th grade."

"It's true," I said, thinking back to my first day. "I definitely don't weigh the most though; I'm like 120 pounds, at the most 130."

Shiori laughed. "True, you're not the fattest pumpkin in the patch."

Keiko's blue eyes were filled with excitement. "Tell us what it's like with Suzumiya!"

I laughed and sat down. I told them all about Mikuru, Yuki, Kyon, Itsuki, and Haruhi, except the fact that they were espers, aliens, and time travelers. I just hope we don't have closed space tonight.

"Asahina's a total guy magnet," said Manami. "But seriously, they only treat her like eye candy and all that crap. I heard Suzumiya dressed her up as a bunny girl just to get more members."

I never heard of that. I hope it wasn't the one I was wearing. "Nagato never speaks to anyone," Shiori said. Yuki is in 1-7 as well with Shiori. "She loves books, but she could focus on having fun, too!"

"Koizumi is a total hottie!" Chiasa said, falling to her knees. "Ahhh…I wish he'd kiss me." Everyone started laughing. "He is so cute," said Keiko. "With his brown messy hair and his sweet brown eyes. I'm melting."

"He is super hot and nice." Shiori said, smiling. "I think he's single, too."

"He rejected me," Manami said from the corner. We all turned around and stared. "He said he thought I was a sweet girl, but that there was someone else."

"When did this happen?" asked Keiko, ears pleading for details.

"A couple weeks ago, a little bit before the SOS Brigade went on a cruise. I asked him to walk me home, and we talked. I told him I liked him, and I wanted to go out with him, but he said, 'Manami-san, you're a very sweet and caring girl, but I'm sorry. There's someone else I have my eyes on. But I'll definitely be your friend.'"

She fell backwards on the couch. Everyone looked at me. "What do you think of Koizumi?" asked Chiasa. "Do you think he's cute?"

I looked down and started blushing. They wouldn't believe that Itsuki almost kissed me on the balcony. I looked up at them with a smile.

"You totally like him!" Chiasa shouted out.

"Fine," I said. "I do. If I say something else, you guys will end up killing me."

"Tell us," said Shiori. "If you say 'he's mine', we won't kill you. But if you tell us to back off, you're meat for Keiko's shiba inu."

"Uh," I started, jokingly grabbing a pillow for a shield. "He almost kissed me when we were on the balcony at the beach."

"No way!" said Keiko. "Spill, now!"

I told more stuff about the brigade and then we finally got to the games. We had a dance off with Shiori's DDR (Dance Dance Revolution), and of course, Chiasa won. She takes dance classes after school, so of course she'd win.

We also did more girly stuff, such as nails and cucumber treatments. And we pigged out on pizza and candy the whole time as well. "By tomorrow," said Keiko. "I'll be the fattest pumpkin in the patch."

We all laughed. Shiori turned to me and sat on the couch. "I know what you should do on the last day of school," she said, smiling. "Ask him to walk you home if it's real late, and when the time is right, confess. It's already obvious he likes you. If everything goes smoothly, slowly kiss him on the lips, he'll definitely be your boyfriend."

I blushed at the thought of making out with him. It made me anxious just thinking about it. "Just because it worked for Daisuke," I said. "Doesn't mean it will work on Itsuki. Itsuki isn't girl crazy like Daisuke or Taniguchi."

"Trust me," said Shiori. "Once you start kissing him, he'll be all over you. All boys like him turn to mush when a pretty girl kisses them."

"Speaking of Taniguchi," said Manami. "He's such a pervert! He thinks all girls are just eye candy. Let him wait, he'll get punched in the face soon."

"I heard he lasted 5 minutes with Suzumiya," said Keiko. Ha, I didn't know that about Taniguchi. "I heard him telling Kyon about how I was such a hottie and crap like that." I said, bring up the day we played volleyball.

"Don't waste your time with him," said Chiasa. "It's not worth it. No wonder he didn't last long with Suzumiya."

"Suzumiya is just boy strict in general," said Manami. I yawned slowly, and Shiori turned to me with the face of a devil. "The first person to fall asleep is pranked, Mai." said Shiori. "I'd hate to shave off all that long blonde hair you've been growing since 6th grade."

"Shiori, if you dare try to shave my head," I said. "I will beat the crap out of you, okay?"

Everyone laughed. "I was joking," Shiori said, smiling. "You can be just like Manami sometimes." We all turned to Manami, who was munching on another piece of pizza. She looked up at us. "Hi?" she said, confused. Shiori turned back to me. "She's becoming a total tomboy, she doesn't use words like hottie or cutie or OMG."

"I don't either," I said, a bit annoyed. I hate girly talk like that. "You say hottie, I say hot. You say cutie, I say cute. You say OMG, I say oh my gosh. You say like a thousand times in one sentence, I say shut the hell up."

Everyone stared at me for what felt like a long time. "Harsh," said Keiko, breaking the silence. "Like, you don't like, have to be, like, so, like, mean, like."

I threw a pillow at Keiko. "That's not funny," I said, giving her a death glare. BAM! Next thing I knew, Shiori threw a pillow at me, then Keiko threw that one I threw at her at me. "I have an idea!" shouted Chiasa. "Let's have a pillow war!"

I stared at her. "We have five people, and each team needs at least two soldiers and a general." Shiori got up, and ran upstairs. "Nii-chan!" yelled Shiori from upstairs. Next thing I knew, she brings down Hikaru, her 20 year old brother. "I thought Hikaru-kun was at his girlfriend's house," said Keiko.

"His girlfriend's on vacation," said Shiori. "College gets off earlier than high school."

"Play war with us," said Chiasa, giving him the puppy eyes. It looks strange on green eyes, so it wasn't working very well. Hikaru stared at her with his dark gold eyes. I'll admit, he looked attractive with that stare. But Itsuki is mine.

"I'll play," said Hikaru, staying at me and Shiori's side. Chiasa got up and looked at Keiko and Manami with that same grin Haruhi gives me when she gets a new idea. "I'm your general, General Sakurai!" she said, laughing. "Don't even try arguing to get my spot!" Manami got up and stared at her straight in the eyes. Manami was toned, built and taller than Chiasa so the chances of her winning a fight again Manami were very low.

Chiasa got on her knees. "Okay," she said, frightened. "You can be general, General Ito!" She ran over next to Keiko, who gave her a weird look that said, "Really? You're that weak? You'd surrender in a war quicker than a blink."

Hikaru made us do push ups and sit ups, just like in the real army. "What the hell?" I said to Shiori. "He's really in character."

"That's just how he is in general," said Shiori. "He's been the man of the house since my mother's relationship became widowed."

After some training, Hikaru yelled at us like a real general and made us stand up. "Keep your heads up," he yelled. "Or they'll be gone by the time this war's over."

We each got a bunch of pillows from the living room, dining room, and from Shiori's, Hikaru's, and their mom's. "Are you ready, Ito?" yelled Hikaru from across the room.

"Yes, sir!" Manami shouted. She looked so serious, like it was a real war. "Ready," said Hikaru.

"Set," said Manami.

"GOOOOOOOOOO!" they shouted together. Me and Shiori grabbed pillows and started throwing them at Keiko, Chiasa, and Manami. Manami packs a punch in her throws. As I went to get a pillow, she hit me so hard I fell to the ground. Hikaru glared at me. "Get off your ass!"

I got up quickly and grabbed a pillow. Bam! I hit Chiasa and she fell quickly. Manami stared at her straight in the eyes and that was enough to scare Chiasa off her feet.

In the end, our team won the pillow war. Of course a general just can't stare their team down, but Manami always finds a way to make it work. I bet her and Yuki would be best friends. I'm thinking about taking Shiori's advice.

I brushed my hair back into a ponytail and looked in the mirror. "I guess I look good with glasses," I said, looking for my best features. The last day of school is June 15th, the day after my birthday. But, could I kiss Itsuki without getting scared? Was he just playing along with the game? Oh well, I'll find out on the last day of being a junior in high school…

**Hey guys! Lili-chan again with another author's note. I'm having a sleepover next Friday, so it inspired the idea to make this side story a sleepover. Only Chapter Eleven and then it's the end of grade 11. The Times of Mai Nakashima (or Nakashima Maiko no Taimuzu) will be coming out in early August to Fanfiction and in late August, depending on my middle school schedule =P**

**Anyways, please stick around on the Melancholy of Maiko Nakashima, and hopefully I'll see you at the Times of Mai Nakashima! **


	11. Celebrate x3!

Monday, June 13th. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm finally turning 17. I'm the youngest in 11th grade as well. Oh well, at least I was born at a part of the year when it's good for outside parties. My mom is a fall baby and Izumi's a winter baby, and those are pretty bad times for a party outdoors. I brushed my hair, put on my uniform and waited for Izumi to finish her toast.

I looked down at my stockings and put my hand to my head. "It's too hot for stockings," I said, pulling them down. I just hope I don't get any negative attention. I mean, Izumi's 12 and she doesn't wear stockings in school in the summer. She finished her toast and ran to the door.

At school, everyone showed up on time for the SOS Brigade meeting. "After school," said Haruhi. "We're going shopping to celebrate moving to senior year!"

"My," said Itsuki, smiling. "It's quite an accomplishment. I remember our first year in high school together."

"What about Mikuru?" I asked, looking at her. "Won't we throw her a farewell party?"

Mikuru smiled sheepishly. "It's okay; you don't need to throw a party for me."

"That's a great idea, Mai!" Haruhi shouted. She grabbed Mikuru and gave her a hug. "We'll have _three_ parties tomorrow!"

Three? She only mentioned Mikuru and graduation from 11th grade.

"You only said Mikuru and our 11th grade party," I said, confused.

Haruhi blushed and counted. "Oh? I meant two parties! Sorry, I guess I got too excited!"

I looked at her suspiciously. "I wonder if they'll remember my birthday," I thought. I told everyone my birthday was coming on when we went on vacation, so maybe they'll remember.

"After school, we're going shopping for supplies!" said Haruhi. "We need confetti, candy, cake and so much more! Everybody bring money because we need more than Kyon to help out!"

"How did you know I was going to help?" yelled Kyon.

"I hate to break it to you, Haruhi," I started. "But I'm broke solid. I only have $10.00."

"Every dollar counts!" she said, grinning.

I still felt hot and sweaty, so I finally took off my stockings. "Much better," I muttered. I turned to Yuki. "How can you wear these?" I asked her.

"I can wear stockings without trouble."

I know you're hot, Yuki. You can take them off. No one wore their jackets or stockings, so you don't have to. I saw Kyon look down at my legs and stare. When he looked up at me, our eyes met. "Can I help you?" I asked, a bit annoyed. He blushed and looked back at the table. Perverted, much?

After school, we went to one of the hugest and most cheap party stores in town: Han Tokai. ( Translated "party city")

"Wow!" Haruhi said, running in immediately. Yuki stared at the store with a blank expression. I was eager to run around like a little kid, too, but I kept my childish side to myself. Me and Kyon walked together for once and Itsuki and Yuki walked together.

I started blushing because I wanted to go crazy around the store, but Kyon would think I'm a freak, but I know Itsuki wouldn't mind. But once I pasted the candy and cake section, I couldn't hold it in any longer. "Sweets!" I yelled, yanking Kyon in by the tie.

"**WHAT THE HELL, MAI**?" he started to yell.

I kept running. I love sweets so much, sorry Kyon! I turned back at him at the end of the aisle. He looked pissed. "This isn't an amusement park!" he said, annoyed. I blushed and looked at him.

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling guilty. "I love sweets so much." I walked over to the sample table and took a piece of taffy. The sweet taste of strawberry made me crazy for more. Haruhi came over with a cart of sweets, balloons, confetti, table cloth, party hats, and plates.

"Everyone ready to checkout?" she asked. "We have a radio and stuff already!"

Kyon looked like he could die right here, while Itsuki looked like he was enjoying himself. That's what I love about Itsuki so much; he smiles and enjoys his life to the fullest. Everyone agreed and we walked out of the store. "See ya later, guys!" said Haruhi, racing down the rode with the bag. I go a different way than everyone else, so I went the opposite way.

_*What happened, third person view*_

_About 2__0 minutes after Mai was down the rode, the SOS Brigade met back up at Han Tokai without Mai. Haruhi smiled and whispered softly. "We're going to have a surprise party for Mai," said Haruhi. "We didn't buy banners or cake because she'd get suspicious."_

"_We already screwed up our cover with you saying three parties this morning," Kyon said, still annoyed with Mai dragging him like a five year old._

"_Mikuru," said Haruhi. "You don't mind if we write Mai's name on the cake, right?"_

"_No, I-I don't mind at all," she said, smiling sheepishly. Mai was a good friend of Mikuru's, so she didn't mind about Mai getting a lot of stuff._

_The group walked back in the store and went to the cake section. "We should get chocolate cake and vanilla icing," said Haruhi. "Mai really likes chocolate." When it was the brigade's turn in line, they got a chocolate cake with vanilla icing, blue roses with green vines, and wrote in dark blue, "Happy Birthday, Maiko!"_

_While the girls stayed with the cake, Kyon followed Itsuki to the gift section. Itsuki blushed when he saw the necklaces. In a row were lockets with hearts and a letter on them. He found the one that had an M, and pulled out his wallet. "Kyon," he said, his face turning bright red. "Please don't tell Miss. Suzumiya about this."_

_Kyon started to smile. "Just curious," asked Kyon. "Do you like Mai more than a friend?"_

_He blushed and his smile got bigger. "Yes, I do," said Itsuki, starting to think of Mai's reaction of the necklace. "She's smart, kind, has a great family, a great member of the Agency, a nice smile, funny, and she's beautiful."_

"_To be honest," said Kyon, smoothing his hair. "I didn't know you could fall in love, unlike Miss. Asahina or Nagato."_

_Itsuki held the necklace case to his chest, blushing. "I hope she'll like it," he said. He walked to the checkout counter of the jewelry section, and put it in his bag. "Haruhi's going to wonder what's taking so long," said Kyon. Itsuki smoothed himself out and him and Kyon caught up to the others._

"_Everyone," said Haruhi. "Make sure Mai doesn't see you in the morning. And make sure she doesn't see you in the clubroom. Me, Mikuru, Yuki, and Koizumi are going to set up the stuff the whole time. Kyon, you're going to wait for Mai after class and walk her to the clubroom. Make sure she doesn't know what's up. Okay?"_

_They all agreed, and Haruhi carried the rest of the stuff to her house. _

_*End of third person view*_

The next day, I was really excited when I woke up. I was finally turning 17 years old. I was no longer the baby of the SOS Brigade. In the shower, I messed up my bangs so I could wear them with a bump.

After I did my hair, I put on my uniform and put in my new earrings I got from my mom for my birthday. When I got to the table, there was a note on the table that said:

Mai,

Happy birthday, sweetheart! You're getting so old, and I'm starting to miss my baby girl already :')

Sorry I can't say it to your face right now. I'm exhausted from last night's shift. When you come home, change your clothes so we can go out for dinner. And yes, you can have dessert :)

Love,

Mom

(P.S. I made you a cupcake. I hope you still like chocolate.)

I smiled and put the note in my drawer in my room, and looked in the fridge. It had pink frosting with a yellow star in the middle. Ha, she still knows my favorite anime is Lucky Star. Izumi was watching TV and was already in uniform. She smiled at me and asked me to sit by her. I grabbed the cupcake and sat down.

"Happy birthday, Nee-nee!" she said, giving me a hug. I laughed and hugged her back. "Thanks, sis," I said. "We have to get to school now, it's 7:45."

She got up and we both walked to school. At school, I didn't see any of the brigade anywhere. When I walked in the classroom, Haruhi wasn't at her desk and neither was Kyon. That's odd, Haruhi is always here. "Suzumiya," called out Mr. Okabe. Pure silence filled the room. "Absent. Kyon."

Another pure silence. "Wow, absent as well." he said, scratching his head. "Nakashima,"

I raised my hand. Ito, Watanbe, Suzuki, Hirano, Taniguchi, Murakami, and the rest of my class were called in attendance. After class, Kyon stood by the door. "Hey," he said with a smile.

I stared at him. "Why did you skip?" I asked him curiously.

"I'll tell you later," he said, walking me to the clubroom. He seemed very friendly today, for once. When we walked to the clubroom door, the inside was very dark. Itsuki, Mikuru, and Yuki too? What the hell is going on? Did they bail or something?

"After you," Kyon said, opening the door for me. Out of character for Kyon, but I'll accept his offer. When I walked in, he turned on the lights and everyone got out of hiding. "Surprise!" everyone yelled. Tsuruya, Kunikida, and Taniguchi were there too. My brown eyes glimmered with excitement. This was the best party ever!

"Aww," I said, hugging Haruhi. "You guys remembered? I only mentioned it in passing."

"That doesn't mean anything," said Itsuki, smiling. He walked over to me and hugged me. I blushed and put my head on his shoulder. "Thank you so much, guys!" I said, now that my day was made.

"Kyon asked us to come," said Kunikida.

I turned and smiled at Kyon. "Aw, that was so sweet of you!" I said to him, laughing. He smiled for once.

After we relaxed, ate cake, and joked around a bit, we focused on Mikuru and our 11th grade step up. "To moving to senior year!" yelled Haruhi. We toasted our glasses and laughed. "And Mikuru," I said, remembering Mikuru graduating this year. We toasted again.

"We'll miss you, Mikuru!" said Haruhi, hugging her tightly. "But who will be our new mascot?" She turned to me with a grin. No, Haruhi. Just no. "Mai! You can be our new mascot!"

Damnit, Haruhi! I said no! Oh well, at least I have a new position besides the newbie. I wish junior year wouldn't end, but we'll see each other in senior year. I get to go out with my family tonight and have a great time and I had a great time with the SOS Brigade. Forget Kouyouen Academy, North High is my brand new place to call home…


	12. Lovely Vistas! The End

**WARNING! This chapter has slight infrequent language, and minor suggestive content. If you hate both of them, please turn back. Thank you for reading this.**

The last day of school. The days went by so quick it's ridiculous. Our vacation, the ramen eating contest, my first closed space; meeting Haruhi Suzumiya changed my life forever.

While happily thinking of the memories, I remembered what Shiori said last Friday:

"_I know what you should do on the last day of school," she said, smiling. "Ask him to walk you home if it's real late, and when the time is right, confess. It's already obvious he likes you. If everything goes smoothly, slowly kiss him on the lips, he'll definitely be your boyfriend."_

"_Just because it worked for Daisuke," I said. "Doesn't mean it will work on Itsuki. Itsuki isn't girl crazy like Daisuke or Taniguchi."_

"_Trust me," said Shiori. "Once you start kissing him, he'll be all over you. All boys like him turn to mush when a pretty girl kisses them."_

I blushed thinking of kissing Itsuki. I was still scared to do it. I've had my first kiss with one of my exes, but no one needs to know about my personal life. I hope Itsuki isn't an ex of me someday, if we ever get to be together. What if I'm a distraction with the Agency? What if Haruhi has a bad reaction? What if Itsuki didn't feel that way after all?

I did my hair, put on my make-up, put on my uniform and my glasses, and waited at the door. I think I'll wear glasses for now on. I've gotten used to how I look in them, and I think they look cute now. Besides, Itsuki thinks I look pretty in them. "Izumi!" I shouted. "Come on!"

"We already had our last day," said Izumi. "Remember? I said that at dinner. East Junior High gets out before North High."

"Oh," I said. Besides, now without Izumi talking her ass off, I can concentrate on what I'll do after school. "Itsuki, I liked you for a very long time and I'd like to kiss you," I thought. No way, too assertive!

"Itsuki," I said. "I love you, and I'd…" Hell no! Who says I love you in the very beginning? My heart started pounding at what to do. I want him to know I like him, but I don't wanna sound stupid.

When I walked in the classroom, not many people came. Probably because no one likes to show up on the last day. Luckily, no one in the SOS brigade skipped school. I sat by Kyon, looking a bit flustered. I think Kyon noticed. "Something wrong?" he asked, looking confused.

I blushed. "Oh, nothing!" I said, scratching my head. Damn, I feel like a nervous wreck! He stared at me for a bit. "You look a bit…worried," he said. "That's all." He paused for a second. "Hey, how do you feel about Koizumi? I promise not to tell, I'm just curious."

I turned bright red. Luckily, Haruhi wasn't listening to a word we were saying. "Alright," I said, blushing. "I like him. He's just so sweet and cute."

Kyon shrugged. "I was just wondering. You seem…close to him, that's all."

Mr. Okabe was running late, so we started class late. We all got our report cards, and I'm guessing Haruhi wasn't happy. "Ugh!" she said, slamming her fist in the desk. "I got an 89 in algebra! And that's my best subject!"

I looked at my report card. I finished with all As. Haruhi peeked over at mine. She clicked her teeth. "Of course you get As," she said. "You're the only high honors student in this class."

I smiled to myself, not trying to brag in anyone's face. I felt a little better about Itsuki, maybe I could kiss him and he might like it. After class, we walked to the clubroom together. Everyone was there, except Itsuki. My heart sank so low, I thought I might die. Haruhi looked over and saw my sad expression. "You okay, Mai?" she asked, suspiciously. I nodded at sat down.

After a little bit, Itsuki came in. "I'm sorry I'm late, Miss Suzumiya," he said to Haruhi. "My homeroom teacher asked me to do her a favor."

He sat right next to me and stared at me for a bit. Was there something on my blouse? Did my mascara smear? But after a little bit, he started to smile again. Oh god, I love when he smiles like that, it makes me melt. Then I remembered he was still next to me! "Don't show it," I thought to myself, tapping my clear coated fingers.

"Mikuru," asked Haruhi. "Have you found any colleges yet?"

She looked at the table, and then looked at us. "I applied for Waseda and M-Meiji University, but I haven't gotten a reply yet."

"I heard Meiji is a very good university," said Itsuki, smiling. "So is Keio University."

"I might be going overseas," I said, a bit disappointed. "At California State in Sacramento. I'd be able to get closer to my sister and my father again."

The whole room became silent. "Could we ever see you again?" asked Haruhi, frowning.

"I can't answer that," I said, getting nervous. "If I stay in the area, I was also considering Meiji."

Everyone said their plans and the brigade was dismissed. At lunch, I sat with Shiori. "Where's Keiko?" I asked.

"She didn't feel like coming," she said. "I tried yelling the crap out of her, but that didn't wake her up. What a heavy sleeper." She took a piece of my bento. "Hey!" I said, laughing. She chewed it right up. "Why, you want it back?" she asked, pointing to her mouth.

I shook my head. "You can keep it," I said.

"Ha ha," she laughed. She paused for a minute. "Hey, aren't you gonna give Koizumi a bit of 'paradise' tonight?"

I blushed and hit her with one of my chopsticks. "Yeah," I said, laughing. "Depends on what you mean by 'paradise'."

"You know," she said, smiling. "Give him some love, make him want you. I only mean kissing, so I don't wanna see you on 17 & Pregnant."

Shut up, Shiori. Please, just shut up. "And by the way," I said laughing. "That's an American show."

"So your dad will have no problem getting you on, right?"

I punched her in the arm and she laughed at me. "Whatever, grasshopper," she said, dumping her tray. "Call me and tell me what happens."

I walked in the bathroom to fix my make up and clean my glasses and I ran into Manami. "Oh, hi Mai," she said, smiling. "Heard you and Shiori talking about Koizumi. Need some advice?"

"Yeah, a bit," I said, blushing. She stared at me for a minute, which made me uncomfortable. Her stares are so creepy. "First, don't you think you're wearing a bit too much makeup?" she asked. "He already tried to kiss you, so he likes _you_, not a Barbie doll. Just get rid of the eye shadow."

I got a paper towel and washed off the eye shadow. "Plus," she said. "Don't show him you're nervous, but don't be too cocky either."

She told me some more tips and I went to my next class, which was English. I took a class to learn English so I could speak better English with my dad.

The day went by very quickly, so quickly it's scary. When I walked out the door, Itsuki was sitting on the bench, waiting for me. "Mai-san," he asked. "Do you mind if we walk home together?"

I blushed. "Sure, I don't mind." I slowly started walking down the hill, side by side each other. He looked over and smiled at me and I tried not to look too nervous, like Manami said. His eyes widened. "Oh my," he said, sounding worried. "I forgot something from yesterday." He reached into his bag and took out a jewelry case, and I couldn't help but turn bright red. "Open it," he said, smiling.

I opened the case, and there was a silver locket with a cursive M written in shiny black with a sterling silver chain. "Oh my gosh," I said, covering my mouth. "Itsuki, it's beautiful!"

"I was walking around the store yesterday with Kyon," he said, smiling. "And I saw the necklace and thought you may like it, so I bought it for your birthday, but I forgot to give it to you yesterday."

I smiled and had Itsuki put the necklace on me. "This is the most beautiful necklace I've ever gotten," I said, still blushing. "Thank you so much, Itsuki."

He smiled at me and stared in my brown eyes with his dark gold eyes, a bit lighter than Hikaru's. "Itsuki," I started, taking a deep breath. "I really like you, and I've liked you ever since I met you. I love your smile, your personality, how you're always friendly to everyone, how you're smart, how you treat me and my family, and how handsome you are."

He blushed and looked down a little bit. "I like you, too," he said, looking at me. "You're beautiful, smart, funny, kind, and you're a great member of the Agency. You've made me and Miss. Suzumiya so happy, and we're all proud of you."

He smiled at me, and I smiled back. When we passed by the cherry blossoms, we stood in the middle of the path. "It's beautiful here," I said, amazed by the cherry blossoms." It got darker and the moon started to shine above the trees so we couldn't see anything but our faces.

I stared into his eyes, and he stared into mine. "This is it," I though, blushing. "This is what you've been waiting for."

I looked at him and started to lean in, and he followed. No interruptions, perfect. At the right moment, our lips finally touched. His lips were warm and soft, and perfect. I started to wrap my arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I've been waiting forever for this moment, and now it's happened.

I felt his tongue start to press against my lips and I let him in my mouth. It was so nice and peacefully, I just didn't want to stop. I would let him do _almost_ anything to me right now. His hands moved further down my back, and I moaned softly. I loved this sweet sensation, and I just couldn't stop.

We kept kissing for a good 20 minutes until we finally pulled away. I smiled at him and hugged him. "I want to be with you," I whispered in his ear. "I don't care what anyone says, I want to be with you."

After we stopped hugging, we walked up to my porch. "Itsuki," I asked him, blushing. "If we're allowed, would you go out with me?"

He smiled at me and nodded. "Of course," he said, blushing. "You're a very special girl, Maiko Nakashima."

I blushed when he said my full name. "Goodbye, Itsuki Koizumi," I said hugging him one last time.

He smiled at me, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you at our next SOS Brigade meeting." He waved and walked down the sidewalk.

I opened the door and fell backwards on the couch. I was so happy right now. I finished the year with brand new friends, an awesome sweet seventeen, and a handsome and sweet boyfriend, all thanks to Haruhi Suzumiya. I wish this year didn't have to end, but every fairytale has an ending, right?

**Hi guys! Lili-chan has finally finished the Melancholy of Maiko Nakashima! It was a lot of fun writing this story and I hope to write the Times very soon. It has some off-character points but isn't that usual in fan fictions? Because that character has never done that before, we'd never know their reaction. So sadly, Mikuru isn't a regular character in the Times, but she still in the SOS Brigade when she's not busy! Maiko and Itsuki finally got together without interruption. But here's the question: how long will they last together? Will the Agency make the couple fall apart? And what's in store for the SOS Brigade next year? Find out when The Times of Maiko Nakashima comes out in August!**


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